


Vanish in the Haze

by Eliliyah



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: 1969, Alternate Universe - Human, Blowjobs, Drug Abuse, F/M, Happy Ending, Hippies, LSD, Light Angst, Marijuana, Oral Sex, Outdoor Sex, Porn With Plot, Smut, Vaginal Sex, Woodstock, sex on acid, vietnam flashbacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-16 01:13:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 23,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29445366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eliliyah/pseuds/Eliliyah
Summary: It's the summer of love and Klaus Mikaelson does not give a shit. Freshly back from Vietnam, the disgruntled veteran meets up with his little sister's best friend, a sunshine hippie named Caroline. She invites him to join their little band of stoners on a road trip to Woodstock with promises of free love and good drugs. With no reason to say no, he goes along in the hopes of forgetting the demons he brought back from the jungle.In other words, Hippie Caroline + Veteran Klaus + Woodstock = Roadtrip.
Relationships: Caroline Forbes/Klaus Mikaelson
Comments: 10
Kudos: 34
Collections: Klaroline Kink





	Vanish in the Haze

A/N Hello, my lovelies. I wrote this in 48hr for Valentine's Sprinting Weekend on Klaroserver and I am _done._ I did that thing where I went and got plot all over my porn. I hope you like it anyway. I had fun researching the summer of love for this piece, as well as writing a LOT of really hot hippie smut. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think! And thank you to Erica and Srishti for encouraging me all weekend to keep going. Couldn't have done it without you, ladies! And thank you to BelleMorte180 for the lovely edit!

P. S. The title is from the iconic song _Help!_ by The Beatles.

* * *

**Vanish in the Haze**

Mystic Falls, August 1969

Fuck the summer of love. Klaus Mikaelson had just returned from Vietnam and all he wanted was to crawl into a bottle and never come back out. Unfortunately, that didn't strike his overly conservative parents as honorable behavior for a veteran. So, he found himself sneaking sips of bourbon from a flask in the woods outside the tiny town of Mystic Falls in between cigarettes. There was a healthy pile of butts at his feet as he sat on a mossy log contemplating the best way to get the fuck out of this place.

There was no way in hell he was staying in this godforsaken town indefinitely. His parents thought he should go back to the army. He thought they should go fuck themselves. There was no world in which he was going back to that jungle of death. Not after what happened… not after what he'd done. He shook his head to clear away the visions tormenting him and took another sip. He lit another cigarette and inhaled deeply, letting the smoke float out of his nostrils in a huff.

"Can I bum one?" Klaus looked up when a sweet voice interrupted his moping. The sight of his kid sister's best friend was almost enough to make him think about grinning. Almost. Caroline Forbes came into view in her blue jeans and dark yellow knit poncho like a literal ball of sunshine with her golden curls and pink sunglasses. They'd grown up together, but she certainly hadn't looked like _that_ when he'd gone off to war. Like his little sister, she was twenty and had just finished her second year of college at the University of California, Berkeley. He hadn't seen her since he got back, but Rebekah still spoke of her often. He'd assumed he'd see her at some point, but he hadn't expected it to be in the middle of the woods bumming a cigarette.

"You smoke?" he asked with a raised brow as he offered her one from the pack.

"I everything," she replied with a wink, taking one and putting it between her strawberry lips. "Got a light?" Klaus pulled a rusty Zippo from his pocket and held up the flame. She leaned forward and inhaled as the stick began to smoke. "Thanks." He grunted a response, half of him hoping she'd leave and the other half hoping she wouldn't. She was probably the only person in this hellhole he didn't want to shoot on sight. When she sat beside him on the log, he didn't bother telling her to leave.

There was no point trying to tell Caroline Forbes to do _anything._ She was as stubborn as he was and made no apologies for her rebellion. Her appearance as a flower child didn't surprise him in the least. Her parents were conservative; of course she would be a hippie. She and Rebekah had gone off to Berkeley together and had come back even more opinionated than before. He could tell her to leave and she'd stay just to prove she didn't have to do what a man told her.

"I heard you were back," she said conversationally, blowing smoke over her shoulder. "Welcome home, soldier." Her tone was playful, but it made his shoulders stiffen.

"Don't call me that," he said gruffly, glaring at her.

Caroline held up her hands in surrender. "Okay, not a soldier. Got it." He grunted his answer. "You sure are a grump, Nikky."

"Fuck sake, don't call me that either," he groaned, rolling his eyes. She'd always called him that when they were children just to annoy him.

"What should I call you then?" she teased.

"Klaus."

"Klaus," she repeated, tasting the word on her tongue. "That's new. What happened to Nik?"

"He died," he answered darkly, stomping out his cigarette with his boot.

The sunshine blonde eyed him contemplatively. He clearly wasn't in a good place. She'd heard the same stories about the war they all had. She couldn't imagine what he was going through, which was probably why she was putting up with his rotten attitude. There was a party happening with plenty of college boys who would drool as soon as she walked in the room, but they didn't interest her. The gloomy man sitting beside her did. "Groovy scar," she commented, nodding at a healed over gash on the inside of his left wrist. "You get that over there?" He glared at her and pulled his jacket down over the old wound. "I heard you got a Silver Star. Is it true you're a hero now?"

"I'm nobody's hero." Her smile faltered at the darkness behind his scowl. "And I'm not talking about the war, so don't ask."

"Sorry." Her angelic voice sounded so genuine that he believed her, nodding his head. "Rebekah and I went to a lot of protests at Berkeley. I'm sorry you had to go through that. It's awful what goes on over there."

"Sweetheart, you haven't a bloody clue what goes on over there," he said flatly, a faraway look in his eyes as he lit another cigarette. "And I told you that I'm not talking about it, so bugger off if that's all you've got to say."

"Okay, okay," she conceded, eyeing him warily. He bore no resemblance to the boy who'd gone off to war. He'd lost that shining innocence of youth and been filled with a darkness she could never hope to understand. She'd seen it before when other soldiers came back from the jungle and she was inquisitive by nature, but she could see that Klaus wasn't going to indulge her. He looked so unhappy; all she wanted to do was see that smiling boy she'd grown up with smile back at her with that arrogant smirk and cocksure attitude. He took another swig from his flask and it gave her an idea.

Popping up from the log, she held out her hand. "Come to a party with me."

Klaus eyed her outstretched palm with a raised brow, blowing smoke over his shoulder. "And why would I do that?"

The bubbly young blonde simply shrugged. "Well, they've got really good pot."

He smirked.

* * *

True to her word, Klaus was holding the best joint he'd had since coming back from the jungle. She giggled brightly when he coughed and sputtered as he handed it to her. "I told you Stefan had the good stuff," she gloated, fighting back a cough herself as she inhaled deeply, holding the smoke in as long as she could before slowly exhaling. The way the smoky air came out between her strawberry lips pursed into a little 'o' had the skin on the back of his neck heating up in a way that had nothing to do with the campfire before them. Noticing the ways his pupils dilated, she did it again before passing it to the girl sitting next to her, scooting close enough that their thighs brushed together.

"Hey, it's puff puff give, puff puff give. You're fucking up the rotation," a dark-skinned hippie in blue jeans and a floral blouse complained.

"Kiss off, Bonnie," Caroline chided her friend. "It was just one toke. Stefan has like a pound of it in the back of his van."

"Enough to get us to Woodstock," Rebekah commented from Stefan's lap as she took the joint from Bonnie and hit it.

Klaus eyed his sister sitting on his old friend's lap. He wasn't sure how he felt about their relationship, but they seemed happy. He envied them. "What is this Woodstock you all keep blathering on about?" he asked in his British accent.

The Mikaelsons had seven children, all born abroad to a British father and American mother. They'd moved around a lot as a military family before finally settling down in Mystic Falls when Klaus was thirteen and establishing citizenship. Rebekah and Caroline were nine and had been best friends ever since. Their father, Mikael, was a lieutenant colonel and still traveled from base to base, which was just fine with them. He was a cold man with rigid ideas about right and wrong. He'd tan their hides if he caught them smoking pot in the woods with a bunch of hippies. None of them cared anymore what Mikael thought, least of all Klaus.

Rebekah's jaw dropped as she looked at her big brother as though he'd just confessed to killing her dog. "Oh, brother, you've been gone too long," she laughed. "It's only going to be the biggest music festival of the decade! It's in New York and we're all going."

"You should come!" Caroline interjected brightly, patting him excitedly on the thigh.

"No chance in hell," the veteran replied with a scowl.

"Awww, Nik, why not?" his little sister pouted, sipping a bottle of warm beer.

"Don't call me that.' He scowled at her, having told her a thousand times that the boy she'd known was long gone, replaced by someone far less charitable to her teasing.

"You're going by Klaus now, right?" Bonnie asked, taking the joint from Caroline. "Groovy name, man. I dig it."

"It's just a name," he countered, no trace of amusement behind his eyes at her attempt at a compliment. He took the joint when it came back to him and finished it off, crushing the last bit of burning paper under his steel-toed boot.

"Guess we need more Mary Jane," Stefan commented with a lecherous grin at his girlfriend.

"I'll help you find it," she giggled, frolicking after him through the woods, their fingers intertwined.

"Perhaps we should help them, gorgeous," the third man, a Brit named Enzo they'd met at Berkeley suggested, wiggling his eyebrows at Bonnie as she smiled impishly back at him.

"Yeah," she agreed, eyeing him up and down. "Wouldn't want them to get lost in the woods."

Klaus frowned as everyone got up and left him alone with Caroline. "Why'd they _all_ have to go get more pot?" he asked in confusion. To his surprise, the blonde laughed out loud. "What?" He frowned at her, annoyed that he didn't get the joke.

The twenty-year-old hippie just shook her head, smiling up at him from beneath long lashes. "That's not where they went, dude." At his blank expression, she just looked at him emphatically. "They went to la-la land, man. You know, now that they're all zonked out." At her last statement, he looked more confused than ever. She rolled her eyes. "It's the summer of love, babe. They went to go find some."

"Oh!" Recognition sparked behind his topaz eyes, a blush threatening to creep up his neck. He eyed Caroline speculatively. When he'd left for war, she hadn't yet graduated high school. And now here she was, all grown up and talking about sex and drugs like this was the most normal conversation in the world. Maybe for her it was. "You sure have changed since I saw you last."

Caroline laughed that bright, musical laugh that made him temporarily forget all that was _wrong_ in the world. "Yeah, getting your cherry popped will do that to you," she teased, bumping her hip against his in a way that was _anything_ but innocent.

Klaus pulled his pack of Camels out of his front pocket and lit a cigarette, offering her one. She took it leaned close to light it off his, ignoring the flame from the lighter. She leaned back and blew smoke up into the air, mischief sparkling behind her sapphire eyes. "I take it one of these college boys around here belongs to you, then?" he prodded, hoping she'd say no.

"Nope," she replied, popping the 'p.' "I'm here all by my lonesome. Well, I was."

"You were?"

"Well, now I'm here with you, dummy," she laughed, inhaling again as the cherry reflected off her rose-colored sunglasses. "So how about it?"

The older man shook his head. "How about what?"

Taking off her glasses, Caroline rolled her eyes and stomped out her butt with her moccasins. She took the cigarette from between his lips and tossed it into the campfire, surprising him. Before he knew what was happening, she was straddling him, arms wrapped loosely around his neck. "How about this," she spoke against his lips before kissing him. His eyes widened in surprise, but it didn't take long for him to return her kiss with equal passion. His gruff stubble tickled her chin when he gently licked at the seam of her lips. She parted them easily, allowing his tongue to slip in her mouth, massaging her own as he explored her body. His hands slipped up beneath her poncho and pulled it over her head to reveal a brightly colored tie-dye t-shirt. That was the next to go, leaving her in blue jeans and a plain white bra. He caressed her breast over the fabric, tweaking her nipple as she moaned into his mouth. His other hand snaked around her to fiddle with the clasp.

Before Klaus could get it undone, Caroline pulled back and gave him a wicked grin as she dropped to her knees in the dirt. "So," she asked as she unbuckled his belt, "are you up for it?"

"Oh, I'm up," he replied, eagerly nodding his head as she pulled down his zipper. The last woman he'd been with was a Vietnamese girl he'd paid to take the edge off before flying back to Washington for his honorable discharge, something no one knew about. As far as Mystic Falls was concerned, he was home on temporary leave. With Caroline kneeling at his feet and palming the bulge in his jeans, thoughts of Vietnam were across the ocean. He reached down and pushed down his boxers to free his shaft, her tongue quickly darting out to catch a drop of precum leaking from the tip. "There you go, sweetheart. Have at it."

The bubbly hippie smiled as she leaned forward, holding his intense gaze as she wrapped her lips around his cock. Her breasts pressed together as she wrapped one hand around the base, stroking him in time with her mouth. He leaned one hand against the log to steady himself, the other winding tightly in her hair. He bucked his hips up to get her to take more of him. She greedily took him to the back of her throat, slurping loudly as he moved in and out of her face. He set the rhythm, tugging her golden curls out from the beaded headband across her forehead. She let him guide her pace as she sucked hard and hollowed out her cheeks, tongue swirling along the vein on the bottom of his thick cock. She palmed his balls with her free hand, her moans sending vibrations up his shaft.

"Fuck you're good at that, love." He groaned when she hummed at the compliment, hips bucking forward to meet her strawberry lips. He watched her intently as she sucked him with passion, clearly enjoying herself as much as he was. His brain felt foggy from the drugs, heightening his pleasure as he just existed in that moment with the blonde goddess kneeling at his feet. His vision grew hazy, campfire crackling in the background dancing with orange and yellow flames. His eyes rolled shut as she took him deeper, working him with both of her hands.

Klaus wound his hand tighter in her hair, pulling it harshly as his hips met her mouth. She opened her eyes briefly and caught a glimpse of his mysterious scar. It was jagged and she could see dots where sutures had closed it. It fascinated her as she bobbed up and down. She sucked harder when she felt him nearing the edge, his balls tight against her fingers. Seconds later, he spilled his seed in her mouth. She kept going to milk out every last drop before letting him slip from her mouth and visibly swallowing his come. She smiled impishly as she wiped a drop from the corner of her lip and licked it off her thumb. He looked down at her arrogant expression from heavily lidded eyes, vision swimming from the power of his orgasm as his chest still heaved.

The sound of a branch cracking in this distance had Klaus sitting up straight, instantly on alert. He tossed her poncho to her and barked, "Get dressed. Someone's coming." Caroline looked around, not seeing anyone, but pulled her shirt over her head anyway. She was reaching for her poncho when Rebekah and Stefan came into view. It wasn't lost on her how Klaus' shoulders relaxed when he saw it was just his sister and her boyfriend interrupting their private moment.

"Really, Care?" Rebekah scolded, turning up her nose at the woman still kneeling in the dirt. "Did you really just blow my brother?" she scoffed in disgust as Stefan bit back a snigger.

As though noticing where she was for the first time, the hippie got up and brushed the dirt off her knees with a totally unapologetic smile on her face as she sat beside Klaus, wrapping his arm around her shoulders despite the balmy August air. "Would've been more than that if you geeks hadn't barged in." She turned to the man beside her. "How did you know they were coming anyway? I didn't hear anything."

"I've had practice," he replied darkly, his eyes telling her not to ask. She simply nodded her head, resting it against his shoulder. "Smoke?" He held up the pack and offered her one, taking one for himself and lighting it before doing the same for her. She offered up a small smile that he couldn't help but return just a little, his dimples almost showing for the first time since he'd returned home. He smirked deviously at the way she rubbed her thighs together, clearly unhappy that they hadn't gotten to finish what she'd started. "Later," he whispered low enough that only she could hear it, earning him a wicked grin.

"Does this mean you're coming to Woodstock?" Caroline asked hopefully, lower lip caught between her teeth.

"No," he said again before pulling out his flask and taking another deep swig.

"But it's going to be so fun!" she whined. "We're all riding up in Stefan's van. We have room, right guys?"

Rebekah rolled her eyes, but Stefan nodded politely. "Sure, man. You should come. It's gonna be wild."

"You two are fighting a losing battle," the younger Mikaelson interjected, her tone bored. "My brother doesn't know how to have fun anymore." She frowned in disgust as she remembered what she'd just walked in on. "Although, perhaps he's learning."

Klaus and Caroline traded lecherous grins. "Yeah, you don't want to miss this." At his stony expression, she leaned in and whispered sinfully in his ear, " _All_ of this."

As Klaus chewed over her offer in his head, he eyed her up and down, a predatory spark behind his topaz eyes. She was promising her body, but beyond that, _she was promising him a chance to forget._ He didn't deserve her, but there she was, offering herself to him so freely. Her bubbly smile drew him in with promises of sunshine as her body drew him in with visions of carnal pleasures that lasted for days. It was only a couple of weeks, and what else did he really have to do? He wasn't going back to the army – that was for damn sure – but that left him with no idea what he _was_ going to do.

"Fuck it. I'm in."

* * *

Five hippie college students and one disgruntled war veteran met early the next morning to start the long drive to upstate New York. Stefan had commandeered his older brother's VW Microbus two years earlier when the four of them decided to drive cross-country to Berkeley. He had yet to return it, not that Damon wanted it back. Caroline and Bonnie had taken the liberty of painting it bright yellow with a giant purple peace sign on either side, thereby dubbing it the Peacemobile. Klaus couldn't help but roll his eyes and question the entire plan when he laid eyes on it.

The vet's mood improved only slightly when he got in and looked around the surprisingly spacious interior. It had bench seats surrounding the walls and a couple of plush bean bags on the rubber floor. Caroline flopped down on a pink beanbag in the corner and patted the seat behind her. Klaus sat down with his back to the back wall, stretching his legs out in front of him, his glare daring anyone to ask him to make room. Rebekah climbed in the front seat beside Stefan. Bonnie slammed the door shut, a loud bang startling them all. She and Enzo took the long bench against the windows. Their various knapsacks and suitcases sat on the small seat by the door beside three canvas tents.

Caroline patted Klaus on the shin, smiling up at him as she rested her golden curls against his thigh. "This is gonna be great." He grunted out a response, clearly unconvinced. They weren't ten miles outside Mystic Falls before Enzo pulled out a joint and sparked it up, taking a toke before handing it to his girlfriend.

"None for you," Rebekah chided, slapping Stefan's hand when Bonnie passed it forward. "You're driving." The young man rolled his eyes but didn't comment, knowing it was a lost cause. Instead, he inhaled deeply of the second-hand smoke and kept his eyes on the road. The blonde took a deep hit and held it in before passing the joint back.

"What was that about fucking up the rotation?" Caroline sassed Bonnie when it reached them in the back, most of it already gone.

"We're not in a circle," the black woman said with a saccharine smile, earning her a glare.

"Finish it off," Enzo said to Klaus as he held it down to Caroline after taking his hit. "Got plenty more," he said with a grin as he patted the pocket of his denim jacket.

The veteran shrugged, taking another hit and slowly exhaling through his nostrils. Caroline took one more hit before passing it back to him to finish off before flicking it out the window. Turning to Enzo, he held out his hand. "Give me another." The other British man raised a brow at him, but didn't question it. Klaus sparked it up and offered it to everyone, but they'd all had enough. He stared out the foggy glass as he inhaled over and over. By the time he finished, he was completely and utterly stoned.

Klaus leaned his head back against the wall as the effects of the drug washed over him. He was only idly aware of the girls babbling on about their courses and whatever anti-war protests they were planning when they got back to California. He wished he could be as innocent and carefree as his companions, but he'd learned too much of the world and its sorrows. With memories of guerrilla warfare flickering through his mind, he drifted off to an uneasy sleep.

The veteran's slumber didn't last long. He felt it as soon as the van began to slow and was suddenly wide awake, reflexes kicking into action. Caroline noticed the way he jumped and put a hand on his thigh, speaking in a soothing tone as she gazed up at him. "We're just stopping for gas." He settled a bit at that, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "Do you want to get out and walk around?"

Still hazy from the drugs, Klaus nodded his head, shaking away the stupor as he got to his feet. They were at a small gas station in the middle of nowhere off I95 with nothing else around for miles. "Bathroom?" he asked the man behind the counter as Caroline looked over the snack selection with a childlike excitement, clearly still buzzed.

The cashier handed him a long stick with a rusty key attached. "Round the corner, but you gotta jiggle the handle." Klaus grunted, nodding his head. He walked outside and found the door. He fought with it for several minutes before glaring at the key hatefully and giving up. Feet heavy, he plodded out behind the rickety structure and unzipped his fly. He'd barely finished relieving himself when he heard footsteps. Immediately on guard, he reached for the knife he always kept in his back pocket.

"Hey, easy there, daddio," a scraggly looking hippie said cautiously, holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Whatever you're selling, I'm not buying," Klaus said firmly as he tugged up his zipper.

"You sure 'bout that?" the man asked with a twinkle in his eye, holding out a small sheet of paper cut into tiny squares. "My friend Lucy take that chip off your shoulder."

Klaus narrowed his eyes at him. "I don't have a chip on my shoulder."

The man chuckled, shaking his head as long, blond locks danced all the way down to his waist. "All you vets got that chip, man."

"How'd you know I was a vet?" Klaus asked warily but also curiously. He was careful never to wear anything even remotely indicative of his status, steel dog tags tucked safely under his shirt.

"You got that look in your eye," the hippie said sagely, nodding his head as he took a step forward, palm still outstretched.

"What look?" the vet asked as he eyed the blotter with interest.

"That look like you done seen some shit." Klaus looked away but didn't deny it. Suddenly, he felt the blotter being pressed into his hand. "Take it on me, man. You look like you need it more than I do." The former soldier looked down at the paper in his palm, taking in the brightly colored design as he turned it over a few times. By the time he looked up, the strange man had disappeared.

Klaus' ears perked up when he heard footsteps. "There you are," Caroline said brightly, bouncing over to him with her rose-colored glasses and beaded headband. "We got snacks!" She held up a plastic bag happily, not noticing it when the older man tucked the blotter into his back pocket. "Come on." She took his hand, dragging him along behind her. "We got Dippy Canoes and Salty Surfers. We're going to do a taste test!" she explained like it was the most exciting news she'd ever heard.

"Caroline, they are the exact same thing," Klaus drolled, rolling his eyes as he followed behind her, eyes glued to what he could see of her ass beneath her poncho.

"They are not!" She looked at him with a faux pout when they got back to the van, holding up the corn chips hopefully. "Don't you want to play with me?"

Klaus smirked as he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, pushing her up against the side of the van and parting her lips with his tongue. "Not _that_ kind of play," he whispered huskily against her mouth before pulling back and leaving her flushed.

With the ache between her thighs now outweighing the grumble in her stomach, Caroline climbed up into the van. She looked away quickly when Klaus shot her a heated glance. When she sat down on the bean bag against his bench, he draped a hand possessively over her shoulder. She couldn't help but nuzzle against it as she broke out the snacks. The taste test went on for about half an hour before it was time to smoke again. As he had before, he outsmoked them all before dozing off.

* * *

When Klaus awoke, it was nearly dark outside. "Where are we?" he asked thickly, wiping the sleep from his eyes. He looked outside and they were coming to a stop in the middle of the woods. They were clearly on a path, but there was nothing surrounding them but trees. Far off in the distance, he could see smoke rising from what must have been large bonfires. It was quiet except for the sound of cicadas chirping outside.

"Willoughby, Pennsylvania," Stefan announced, putting the van in park.

"And what is in Willoughby?"

"Free camping!" Caroline informed him with a bright smile. She got up from her bean bag and immediately fell down on top of him, screeching when she slipped on the rubber mat. He caught her easily, her arms wrapping automatically around his neck. "Sorry!" she yelped apologetically. "I think my legs are asleep."

Rebekah took one look at her brother's face and rolled her eyes. "Not in the Peacemobile, you two," she scolded, eyeing with distaste the way Klaus' hand had crept up high on her best friend's thigh. "At least have the decency to put up a tent for yourselves."

"Like you and Stefan always put up tents?" Caroline shot back, face heating up as Klaus grazed his fingertips over her hip beneath her shirt.

"Hey, if the van's rockin, don't come knockin," Stefan teased, reaching passed his girlfriend to grab a tent from the small seat by the door.

Rebekah slapped him on the chest. "Don't be crass in front of my brother."

"He looks like he's got other things on his mind," he joked, nodding his head at the couple now kissing in the backseat.

"Gross!" Rebekah shrieked before slamming the door on them.

Klaus ignored his sister's outburst completely as his hands glided up the smooth skin of Caroline's back beneath her shirt and poncho. He wasted no time unclasping her bra this time. She raised her arms to let him tug everything off at once, leaving her breasts bare before him. He shrugged off his denim jacket and let her tug his black t-shirt over his head. Her eyes widened when she looked at his chest and saw a large tattoo on his shoulder. She traced her fingers over the lines of a black feather bursting into a flock of birds, wrist clinking against the chain of his dog tags. "Did you get that over there?"

"Yeah," he replied, quickly pushing her hand away and pulling her mouth back to his by the back of her hair, his fingers wound in her golden curls. Her headband popped off her forehead and landed forgotten on the rubber mats of the floor. Klaus flipped them over so he was laying half on top of her, one hand massaging her breast and toying with her rosy peak. He kissed his way down her neck, laving his tongue over her soft skin. When he got to her nipple, he took one in his mouth and pinched the other with the tips of his fingers, making her arch her back into him.

Letting go of her breast, Klaus grazed his nails down the smooth skin of her belly. He unsnapped the button on her denim bell bottoms and tugged down the zipper. Caroline gasped when one finger dipped between her already dripping folds and circled her clit. He pulled his mouth away from her breast and held her gaze as he licked her juices from his finger. Her pupils dilated at the feral gleam in his eyes as he fell to his knees. "Klaus, what are you doing?" she yelped when he pressed a kiss to her hip bone.

The older man looked up at her, amused. "Returning the favor, love." At her shocked expression, he raised a brow. "Has no one ever done this for you before?" She shook her head anxiously, worrying her lower lip. Klaus chuckled, pressing another kiss to her belly button before pulling down her jeans and slipping off her moccasins. He looked up at her reassuringly when she clenched her thighs together in nervous anticipation. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I know what I'm doing it." She didn't doubt it.

Klaus nudged her legs apart as she lay back against the cushioned seat. She shivered when he leaned in to blow against her folds, laying a kiss atop her golden curls. He pushed one finger inside her wet heat, making her suck in a harsh breath. He kissed and licked his way over to the inside of her thigh, teasing her as he nipped her sensitized skin with the tips of his teeth. He pressed kisses up to her hip and across her belly to the other side, ignoring where she wanted him most. He added a second finger, slowly pumping in an out of her at a leisurely pace.

Caroline's body felt like it was on fire, each brush of his stubble igniting a new flame. By the time he finally, mercifully, dragged his tongue between her folds, she was already gripping the edge of the seat. Klaus smirked up at her and withdrew his fingers, sucking them lasciviously before her as he knelt between her spread legs. She'd never felt so exposed to a man in her life, and it felt _good._ He used two fingers to spread her lips. She moaned when he pushed his tongue inside her hot core, lapping against her inner walls. He fucked her with his tongue, his other hand grazing his nails up and down her legs and over her abs to tease her. She could feel a coil forming in her lower belly and began to whimper. Klaus picked up his pace, moving his tongue faster in and out of her tight hole.

The blonde whined softly when he pulled back only to gasp when he suddenly plunged two fingers deep inside her and began to move them rapidly in and out. He leaned down and watched her eyes fixated on his tongue as he placed a long, flat lick over her tight bundle of nerves, making her jump. He quickened his pace, lips pressing against her clit far too lightly. Her legs began to shake, making him smirk. He hooked his fingers to hit the perfect spot deep inside her just as he wrapped his lips around her clit and swirled his tongue around and around, sucking hard.

Caroline came with a shout, her hand clasped in his unruly blond curls as she rode his face up and down. He fucked her hard and fast with his fingers to help draw out her high, not pulling back until her walls stopped clenching around him. He sat back on his heels, a satisfied smirk plastered across his gruff stubble as his raspberry lips glistened with her come. Chest heaving, she closed her eyes and flopped back against the cushions. He chuckled as he stood as much as he could to kick off his boots, jeans and boxers following quickly behind.

Klaus climbed up next to her and kissed her temple, taking in the sight of her flushed cheeks, skin dewy with a thin layer of sweat. She could feel his cock pressed against her thigh and it brought her back to life. She opened her eyes to see him staring predatorially down at her. The way he was looking at her, like he wanted to _devour_ her, sent a rush straight to her core. She pulled him down by his dog tags, raising her mouth to meet his lips. As soon as her fingers curled around the steel chain, he quickly flipped her over with a strength she hadn't realized he had.

"Hands and knees, love," he told her in a taunting tone. He climbed up behind her on the bench as she got into position, spreading her legs as much as she could on the narrow seat. He pushed two fingers between her slippery lips, making her buck her hips back against him. He withdrew far too soon, slapping her sharply on the ass and chuckling when she jumped.

"Klaus, don't be a tease," she chided, swaying her hips enticingly. "Fuck me."

Rubbing the head of his shaft against her slick folds, he acquiesced, "As you wish, sweetheart." She groaned as he slowly eased himself inside her tight hole, filling her completely. He waited until he felt her relax a bit to really start moving. She felt his dog tags scraping against her bare back when he leaned forward to take her breasts in his hands, resting his body weight on her lower back. He pulled almost all the way out before rapidly thrusting back in, making her moan. The sound of skin slapping against skin filled the van as her hips came back to meet his, their bodies rocking together.

Klaus rolled and pinched her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers, making her keen against him. He kissed the back of her neck, resting his forehead against her shoulder as he slammed up into her from behind. She made the most erotic sounds that spurred him on. He looked down at her profile in the fading light and took in the sight of her eyes closed and lips slightly parted as he took her in the back of the hippie van. She was glorious. He released one of her breasts and slid his hand down her belly to circle her clit.

"Oh, fuck," she muttered, rutting against him. "Right there, Klaus. Keep doing that." He quickened his pace, using two fingers to rub her slippery bud up and down as she panted out a long string of pleas to fuck her faster and harder. His cock moved in an out of her as he claimed her like a wild animal, their bodies rocking together in unison as they chased their highs. "Klaus!" She cried out his name as her fleshy walls clamped down around him, her pussy spasming over and over as she came like never before.

Caroline buried her face in the cushion and screamed as he fucked her through her orgasm, his nails digging into her hips as he approached the edge. The way his cock moved in and out of her was almost painful in its intense pleasure as she came down. With just a few more thrusts, he spilled his seed inside her and collapsed on top of her, chest heaving.

Klaus Mikaelson was _gone._ Between all the pot and the mind-blowing orgasm, he was lost in a haze he never wanted to leave. He was only vaguely aware of it when Caroline crawled out from underneath him and curled up on his chest, both of their bodies glistening with sweat. He mindlessly wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer and inhaling deeply of her sunshine curls. Neither of them knew exactly when it happened, but they both drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Caroline was the first to wake, her light stirring rousing her companion. He awoke with a startle and looked around warily. The moon was high overhead as she tucked a curl behind her ear and smiled bashfully at him. "I think we passed out."

Klaus nodded his agreement as the world came crashing back to him. He looked around the van and remembered where he was… and where he'd been. Reaching for his jeans, he pulled the flask out of his pocket and took a swig. He quickly pulled on his jeans and boots and searched his denim jacket for his pack of Camels. "I need a smoke," he said gruffly with a cigarette already between his lips. He looked over his shoulder and checked to make sure she'd wiggled into her jeans and poncho before opening the door, her bra and t-shirt forgotten on the floor.

The hippie clamored out behind him, taking the stick her offered her and leaning down to accept a light. She inhaled deeply and looked over to find him smirking arrogantly at her disheveled appearance. She couldn't help but laugh with him, dragging her fingers through her curls, trying to tame them to no avail. "That was wild, man." Klaus hummed his agreement, stomping his butt beneath his boot. "You wanna go find the others?" He didn't really, but looking over at her hopeful expression, he nodded his head. She slipped on her moccasins and took his hand. "Which way do you think they went?"

Klaus nodded his head to the west. "They're over there, about 100 meters in."

Caroline looked at him strangely as she let him lead the way. "How can you tell?"

"Training," he replied in that same dark tone she'd come to recognize he used whenever he was thinking about the war. She didn't ask anymore questions as she followed him into the woods. Sure enough, their friends were sitting on logs around a campfire scarfing down snacks and drinking warm bottles of beer. Two tents were set up a few feet beyond the fire, reminding Caroline that they would need one, too. "Enzo," he greeted the other British man as he sat down on a log large enough for the blonde to sit next to him. "You got a joint?"

Enzo scoffed as though he were offended and pulled one out of his jacket pocket. "I've always got a joint, mate." Klaus took it gladly and lit it up, taking several deep hits. "Hey, pass it around, man."

The vet took another deep hit before passing it off to his girl. She took a small toke before passing it to Bonnie, who did the same. The group of friends passed it around until it was gone. "Man, this is so _far out_ ," Caroline squealed happily, leaning way back against the log to stare up at the moon and sea of stars shining down on them from above. "We're camping in the woods on our way to Woodstock!" She sat up and took Klaus' arm, wrapping it up with her own. "Isn't this just so totally groovy?"

Klaus' eyes shone none of her excitement. If there was anything he hated more than being sober, it was being in the fucking woods. At least here he would have a tent, which was better than many of his nights spent in the jungles of Vietnam. He looked over at her, deadpan, and saw the hopeful shine in her eyes falter. He shook his head and forced a smile. "Groovy," he repeated, leaning forward to peck her on the forehead.

Rebekah groaned at their display of affection. "Disgusting," she said, shaking her head. Turning to her boyfriend, she pouted with her lower lip puffed out. "We should have thought to bring real food, darling. I've had enough snacks."

"We could hunt," Bonnie interjected hopefully, smiling widely. She looked around the circle at her friend's less than enthusiastic reactions.

"We don't know how to hunt, Bon," Caroline reminded her, watching her friend deflate a little.

"I do." Everyone's heads turned to Klaus, who simply shrugged.

"Well, that settles it," Rebekah decided, clapping her hands together excitedly. "Nik can just go shoot something and-"

"We don't have a gun," Stefan cut in, bursting the girl's bubbles.

The vet pulled the folding knife out of his back pocket and flicked it open. "I don't need one." The other five looked at each other warily. There was a coldness to his tone that set their teeth on edge, a sense of foreboding filling the air. In that moment, none of them doubted that Klaus could kill something without a gun.

Caroline gently placed her hand over his, encouraging him to bring the blade down and close it. "Or we can go out and get food in the morning," she countered reasonably. "It's late. We should just set up our tent and get some sleep."

"Yeah, I'm beat," Bonnie agreed a little too quickly, stretching as she stood up.

"Same," Enzo commented, getting to his feet.

"Me, too," Stefan threw in as he did the same. He looked down and held his palm out for his girlfriend. "Shall we, my queen?"

Rebekah glared at her big brother as she accepted the outstretched hand. "Now _that_ is how you treat a lady." She smiled at Stefan and pecked him on the lips. "Remember that before you take my best friend to bed."

Caroline rolled her eyes as they all said their goodbyes. A minute later, she and Klaus were left alone sitting beside the fire. She said something to him, but he didn't totally process it as he sipped his flask. "Klaus?" she prodded, but he didn't seem to hear her as he simply stared at the flames dancing in the center of the circle, a faraway look in his eyes. "Klaus," she repeated louder, shaking his arm to get his attention.

The vet shook his head. "Sorry, love, what did you say?"

"I said, I have no idea how to build a tent," she repeated herself, blushing slightly at his amused smirk.

"I do," he said reassuringly, patting her thigh. A feral gleam crept into his eye as he moved his hand higher, leaning down to whisper in her ear, "But don't think I'm ready to go to sleep just yet." Her cheeks flushed as she got to her feet, intertwining their fingers as he led her into the woods.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Angry veterans were scary. Bonnie and Rebekah decided it would be a good idea to make sure they already had food when Klaus woke up so he didn't feel the need to go hunting. Stefan and Enzo were back before he and Caroline left their tent. The bubbly blonde came out wearing nothing but his t-shirt; he followed behind her in just his jeans and dog tags. Rebekah scoffed at their disheveled appearance; they'd clearly already been awake for quite a while.

Ignoring her friend's judgmental glare, the hippie girl took a seat at the rickety old picnic table. "Mmmm bacon!" she said cheerily as she loaded her plate with greasy meat.

"Save some for me, love," Klaus teased, stealing a slice off her plate and crunching down on it before she could steal it back.

"Get your _own_ ," she scolded, slapping his hand before he could swipe another. She glared at his smirk as she passed the plate to him. "What should we do today?" she asked the others as they all munched on bacon and eggs.

"There's a lake," Rebekah said with a bright smile. "I want to go swimming."

"Or we could go fishing," Stefan suggested.

"No fishing poles," his girlfriend sassed.

His face fell. "Oh yeah."

Klaus gave an amused snort. "You boys really didn't prepare for days in the wilderness very well, did you?" Enzo and Stefan looked at him sheepishly, not bothering to deny it.

"Swimming it is!" Caroline announced authoritatively, not that they had a lot of other options. "But first – Enzo?" She held her palm out flat for her friend, smiling happily when he passed her a joint. Klaus repeated her movement, holding out his hand for one of his own.

Enzo looked down at it for a moment before slowly reaching back into his jacket and pulling out another. "You sure do like your Mary Jane, man," he commented skeptically as Klaus lit it up and took a toke.

The veteran shrugged. "I have a high tolerance." The friends looked around the table, but no one said anything. The five of them shared one while Klaus smoked his by himself. His eyes were glassed over by the time he finally stomped it out beneath his boot. His head heavily fell forward as his gaze fell to the ground, body suddenly weighing a thousand pounds. He didn't even notice when four of them got up and cleaned up from breakfast. He heard someone say his name and sat up straighter, looking around for the voice. His eyes focused blearily on Caroline looking at him with concern. "Say again, love?"

"I asked if you're okay," she repeated slowly and clearly.

"Fine," he replied, sitting up and dragging his hands down over his face. "Just didn't get a lot of sleep last night." He flashed her a lewd smirk that had her forgetting why she was worried. "I blame you for that." Before she could say anything, he pulled her to him by the back of her golden curls and brought their lips together for a fierce kiss. He felt himself start to sober up as he parted her lips to massage her tongue with his own, his hand snaking up the shirt she'd stolen from him to find her perky breasts, nipples already standing at attention.

"Klaus," she giggled as she pulled away, "we're right out in the open!"

"Yes, and?" he asked as he kissed his way down her throat and back up to claim her mouth.

Caroline kissed him back with equal passion until her chest was heaving. If his sister hadn't been nearby, she might not have stopped him. Reluctantly, she pushed him off her and stood up. She held out her hand. "Come on. Let's go swimming."

* * *

It was a long day for the six campers full of swimming and sunshine and sex. Klaus had gown down on Caroline again before taking her from behind in the water against a giant boulder than only barely concealed their naked bodies writhing together. As the moon rose high over head, they all sat around a campfire, each couple huddled together.

Enzo pulled out a joint and lit it up, taking a hit before passing it to Bonnie. He looked over and saw Klaus' outstretched palm, an expectant look on his face. "I'm starting to run a little low, mate," he lied. They'd all begun to notice that the veteran wasn't getting high and partying like they were. He was trying to get _stoned._ While they all knew it had something to do with the war, none of them were bold enough to tell him he had a problem. "How about you just share this one with the rest of us and I'll give you one later?"

All eyes were on Klaus as they waited with bated breath for his reaction. Rebekah didn't think her brother would hurt any of them, but she couldn't deny that he could get a little scary. To everyone's relief, he simply shrugged his shoulders. "Fine. I've got something better anyway." Caroline tilted her head to look at him curiously as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out the blotter. Her eyes widened as he held it up in the firelight. "You ever drop a hit of this, sweetheart?" he asked around a cigarette.

"Is that acid?" Stefan asked excitedly as Caroline shook her head warily. Klaus nodded and pulled off a tiny square before tossing it to his old friend. The younger man did the same, turning the colorful paper over in his hand. "What do you do with it?"

"Stick it on your tongue and let it dissolve." To demonstrate, Klaus dropped his hit on his tongue and held it out to show them like it was just another day.

None of the Berkeley students had dropped acid before, but that wasn't about to stop them. Stefan repeated the motion before passing the blotter off to Rebekah, who did the same. Bonnie and Enzo took their hits before the drugs made their way to Caroline. She looked at it warily before casting her eyes around the circle to see her friends waiting expectantly. "Don't worry, love," Klaus said reassuringly, tucking a stray tendril behind her ear. "I've done it plenty of times, and I would never let anything happen to you."

The hippie looked around the circle again to see her friend's nods of encouragement. Looking back to the blotter, she peeled off a tiny square and put it on her tongue. "There's a good girl," Klaus said proudly, patting her on the back before tucking the sheet back in his pocket. "You'll start feeling it soon enough."

"What's it feel like?" Rebekah asked excitedly.

"How do you know when it's working?" Stefan chimed in.

The older man chuckled, a low rumbled emitting from the back of his throat. "Oh, trust me, mate, when it starts working, you'll know."

Klaus, as it turned out, was not wrong. Within an hour, colors were brighter and stars were singing… and they were singing along with them. The hippies danced in a circle around the fire hollering The Beatles at the top of their lungs. They sang through the entirety of _Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band_ twice, including shrieking out their rendition of the crescendo of _A Day in the Life._ If anyone had come along and found them, they'd have thought them mad… but they were all too high to care.

Once clothes started coming off, Klaus decided it was time to retreat to their tent. It wasn't that he had a problem with his hippie sister dancing topless; it's that the only breasts he wanted to see were Caroline's. He got his wish shortly after they collapsed on top of each other against the hard ground. The blonde was acutely aware of every brush of his calloused palms as he explored her body, sensually pulling her poncho over her head to reveal to him her bikini top. He dispensed of it quickly and wrapped his lips around one pert nipple.

Sex with Klaus was fantastic. Sex with Klaus on acid was _mindblowing._ She didn't know how it happened, but at some point, her lover grew an extra set of arms. She looked up at him curiously as he pinned down her wrists with one set while the other caressed her breasts. When he leaned down and pushed his tongue in her mouth, she didn't question it. She could swear he tasted like purple. She suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to take him in her mouth. She used her extra pair of legs to flip them over and slithered down his body, nuzzling the bulge in his jeans.

Klaus was never one to question a free blowjob, but he did wonder when she grew tentacles. When one wrapped around his balls, he closed his eyes and lay his head back against her knapsack. Caroline took control, moaning as the taste of strawberry cotton candy hit her tongue as it leaked from the head of his cock in a river of sensual sweetness. She took her time teasing him as he lay there and let her have her way with him. She palmed his balls, occasionally dropping down to take one in her mouth. She always loved the smell of oranges. Returning to his shaft, she took him deep to the back of her throat, swirling her tongue along the underside. His whole body began to clench and he held his breath until he came hard in her mouth, exhaling in a hallucinogenic rush. It was the longest and best orgasm he'd ever had, long strings of laffy taffy coating her tongue as she lapped at his arousal like candy.

Caroline pouted when he tucked his penis back in his jeans, but she was no match for his four arms. He pulled her to him and flipped her over, again pinning her down by the wrists. She gasped when his fingers spread her slippery lips, caressing her clit in a slow, sensual circle. He leaned down to claim her mouth, tasting himself on her tongue. He idly wondered when he'd eaten watermelons but pushed the thought away as he sunk two fingers in her wet heat. She arched her back to encourage him to penetrate her deeper. He chuckled against her eager lips as he indulged her, moving them quickly in and out as he expertly built her up.

Klaus pulled his lips from hers and trailed them down her chest. He was surprised that she now had six breasts, but he wasn't complaining. He took them one at a time in his mouth, his fingers dancing around nipples as he worked his way down to her mound. He slipped his tongue between her folds, chuckling at the way she whined when he withdraw his fingers to spread her lips. He pushed his tongue in her tight hole, moaning at the taste of honey. Caroline struggled against his extra hands still pinning her down, longing to bury her fingers in his hair. _Stupid bonus arms,_ she thought to herself as Klaus fucked her with his tongue.

The blonde gasped when he pressed his thumb down against her clit. "That's right, sweetheart. Let me hear you," he said encouragingly between tongue thrusts as he lapped at her juices, his gruff stubble creating a delicious friction. His words echoed around the tent until she was surrounded by a chorus of "Sweethearts." Her whole body pulsed with pleasure when she felt two fingers enter her once more. His lips wrapped around her tight bundle of nerves and she was _gone._ She came all over his face, grinding against him as he helped draw out her high.

Caroline's chest was still heaving, six sets of nipples hardened to little buds, when Klaus climbed on top of her. He reached down to free his throbbing erection and rubbed the tip of his head against her sugary folds. She pressed her back up against the hard ground, her breasts slick against his firm chest. He pushed his tongue in her mouth just as he pressed his length into her. She'd never felt so full in her life, sure in that moment that he'd grown an extra cock and was penetrating her both ways. It all felt so good and so _magical_ that all she could do was give herself over to the intense sensations of pleasure washing over her naked body.

Klaus pulled out and thrust deeply back in, making her cry out his name. The sound bounced around the thin canvas walls of the tent, spurring him on. He set a brutal pace, slamming into her wet heat over and over as she and her six breasts writhed against him. He snaked his hand between their sweaty bodies to play with her clit. Leaning down, he took one nipple in his mouth and bit down. The pleasurable pain sent her over the edge as she toppled into an enormous orgasm that had her seeing sparkling diamonds and cellophane flowers of yellow and green.

"Again," she cried against his lips, pulling him down on top of her when his extra arms finally melted into jello and disappeared when they hit the ground. Klaus flipped them over, relieved to see that she had only two breasts again. Six was too many to keep up with. He reached up to play with them as she rode him hard and fast. Her golden curls spilled behind her, the tips grazing against his balls as she bobbed up and down, his slippery shaft moving in and out of her tight hole. He palmed and caressed one breast while his other hand dropped to rub two fingers up and down her clit. Her head fell back as she rode his cock, screaming into the night as she came again. Her fleshy walls clamping down around him pushed Klaus over the edge. He called out her name as he filled her with his hot, sticky semen. Her whole body tensed for long moments before she collapsed against him.

Caroline rolled off of him long minutes later and rested her head on his chest. She looked up at him sleepily, smiling as she hummed in contentment. He leaned down to peck her on the lips, flashing her his dimples for the first time as the cicadas chirped in the background. Floating along a river beneath tangerine trees and marmalade skies, she let her kaleidoscope eyes fall shut. Her hand fell against his dog tags as she drifted off to sleep. He gently pulled her hand away and flung the steel beside his shoulder and out of her reach. He kissed her temple and pulled a blanket over them before passing out himself.

It was the first time since before leaving for Vietnam that Klaus slept through the night.

* * *

"Does anyone sees naked hippies yet?" Bonnie asked excitedly as she stared out the window of the VW bus three days later.

"They won't be naked until the drum circle, dip stick," Rebekah snidely commented from the front seat. "She just wants to have an orgy," she added to Stefan, shaking her head.

"I do not!" Bonnie complained, crossing her arms over her chest. When four sets of eyes looked to her, she huffed, biting back a laugh. "Okay, maybe I'm curious about _seeing_ an orgy."

Enzo patted her on the top of her afro, an amused smirk on his face. "Whatever you say, gorgeous." She blushed a little bit and pulled down her circular sunglasses. He and Caroline traded knowing glances, the blonde biting down on her lower lip to keep from giggling.

Klaus dropped his hand to stroke her golden locks, enjoying the feeling of cornsilk between his fingers. She peeked up to see him staring out the window, her eyes again falling over the scar on his wrist as she leaned back against his thigh. She was curious about it, but also content to just be with him in the moment. Life with the war vet was up and down. There were times that he looked at her like she was everything, but there were others when he was so far away that she couldn't find him at all. True to his word, he still refused to talk about the war. After their night of mindblowing acid sex, he'd wanted to repeat the experience the next night. They'd managed to convince him to save what remained for that night's drum circle, but he hadn't slowed down his marijuana intake.

Caroline and Rebekah had argued for half an hour about who was going to tell him he was cut off from any extras before his sister put her foot down and insisted her best friend do it. It wasn't that she was nervous; it's just that she had spent a lifetime around his temper tantrums. It was somebody else's turn to poke the bear now. The sunshine blonde had begrudgingly gone off to find him drinking alone by the water, kicking his feet in the cool lake. Surprisingly, he'd bought her line about how they were running low, which was a complete lie as Stefan had indeed purchased an entire pound for their road trip. She'd gone back to their friends relieved.

Klaus showed up an hour later with an ounce of weed and a handful of mushrooms. Nobody bothered to ask any questions; he wouldn't have answered them anyway. Tripping on shrooms wasn't an intense as LSD, but they'd still had fun, and the sex had been amazing. It seemed Klaus had two desires in life: to crawl down the bottom of a bottle and to crawl up Caroline's panties. It had become obvious to everyone that he was struggling to adjust to life outside of combat, but they didn't know exactly what to _do_ about it.

Everyone wanted to talk about the horrors of war, but nobody wanted to talk about what happened to the soldiers once they left the jungle, leaving a piece of themselves behind. Everyone _thought_ they knew about the war. They wouldn't shut up about it. But they didn't want to hear about what he _saw_. What he _knew_. The jungle was the coldest pit of hell, but it was nothing compared to the welcome the soldiers received once they came home. They made him out to be a hero when he was anything but. All he wanted was to be left alone, away from the prying eyes that saw too little and ignorant voices asking all the wrong questions. He knew he should be grateful for the group of friends who'd embraced him when so many of his brother soldiers came home to crowds spitting at them as they deplaned, but he didn't _want_ be seen as a hero. He didn't want to be seen at all, and he _definitely_ didn't want to talk about it.

For the time being, they just treated him like he was another hippie on their road trip… and tread carefully whenever one of his mood swings hit. Caroline was quite adept at bringing him back and chasing the faraway look from his topaz eyes, and she didn't seem to mind how mercurial he could be. If anything, she found joy in comforting her taciturn lover. She'd never been one to back down from a challenge, and Klaus Mikaelson's mood was the most formidable opponent she'd faced. It was a battle she was determined to win… one joint and one blowjob at a time.

When they rolled to a stop, there was a young brunette dressed in hemp from head to toe waiting for them, her hair held back in a beaded headband across her forehead. "I thought you cats would never get here," she greeted, leaning in to kiss Stefan on the cheek. Seeing her favorite blonde, she wrapped her arms around Rebekah and crashed their lips together for a hot kiss, making Klaus gag and turn around.

"You must be Katherine," he said with disgust when their display was over. "I've heard about you."

"And I heard about you, soldier boy," she teased with a wink.

Caroline's eyes briefly widened when she heard a low grumble emit from the back of his throat. She put a steadying hand on his forearm and took a step forward. "It's good to see you, Kat," she interjected quickly, pecking the other hippie on the cheek. "Took forever and a day to find you."

Kat shrugged. "Well, you did. Come on. The party's just getting started." She wiggled her eyebrows enticingly before beckoning them to follow with a finger crooked in Rebekah's direction. The blonde traded excited smiles with her boyfriend before following along.

"They'd better have _really_ good pot," Klaus muttered under his breath as he stomped along the trail, noticing the way Kat's hand had slipped into the back pocket of Bonnie's jeans.

"Don't worry, man. It's the _best_ ," Caroline promised, taking his hand to intertwine their fingers. "And we can leave before the orgy." His eyes darted to hers and for a horrifying moment, he wasn't sure she was kidding. She just laughed at his flabbergasted expression as they ventured deeper into the woods. "Plus we'll only be here one night anyway. Woodstock is tomorrow!" She sounded so bubbly and full of excitement that it almost made him smile.

Klaus did his best not to bite any hippie heads off as Kat led them to her commune. They'd met her at Berkeley and she was two years older, having just graduated a few months before. Rather than putting her degree to good use, she'd banded together with a group of thirty or so other extremists and help found their self-sustaining community high in the mountains of upstate New York. They grew their own food, made their own clothes and shared everything… including sexual partners. Stories of Kat's orgies were legendary at Berkeley, and while Caroline wasn't interested, she couldn't deny her friends when they'd begged her to stop by on their way to the festival.

The other thing Kat's commune was legendary for was their hydroponic pot. Klaus could smell it growing all around them and was practically salivating by the time a joint finally found its way to his hands. He lit it up immediately, breathing a sigh of relief as his lungs were filled with marijuana. Seeing his eyes begin to glass over, the blonde led him over to a giant log sitting beside what was sure to be a giant bonfire. She left him there, nodding in and out, while she helped the other hippies prepare a feast. It was the night of the full moon and people from all over were gathering at the commune for a drum circle.

Caroline held a plate of food under Klaus' nose to rouse him from his stoned slumber. He opened his eyes, mouth watering at the sight of organic corn and venison cooked over an open fire. "Thank God they're not vegetarians," he commented as he sank his teeth into the tender meat, a ravenous hunger overtaking him. Hydroponic munchies were a bitch.

"Actually, I think they are," she whispered conspiratorially. "All the ones who live here kept giving me the evil eye as I was making our plates. Pretty sure they only make the exception for drum circle night."

"They can bugger off with that," he said around a mouthful of deer, eyes still glassy as he rapidly inhaled every last bite. Satiated, he pulled out his pack of Camels and slowly inhaled a long drag. Looking around for the first time, he realized half the people surrounding them were stark naked, the rest at least partially undressed. His eyes fell to Caroline in her knit poncho and blue jeans. She blushed at the feral gleam in his eye, but she took his lecherous stare as a challenge. Getting to her feet, she set down her plate and kicked off her moccasins before shucking off her bell bottoms and straddling him.

Klaus lost himself in the feeling of her lips on his as drums began to beat around the circle. He could feel the flames grow as the hippies stoked the bonfire, smoke surrounding them. Everyone around was having fun and getting high without a care in the world beyond that moment. It felt good to let go and just _be._ He let her pull him to his feet as she swayed her hips, dancing against him to the beat of the drums. Several people were playing acoustic guitars, adding to the music of the night.

The flames grew higher as their bodies moved together, his hand cupping her ass beneath her poncho. She pushed off his denim jacket, letting it fall to the log they'd been sitting on. She ran her hands over his smooth muscles as their lips came together. He parted them with his tongue and explored the inside of her mouth as the passion grew between them. All around, they could hear the sounds of hippies making love beneath the full moon and it only spurred them on. They didn't pull apart until they were sweating and gasping for air.

Klaus immediately regretted opening his eyes. His cerulean orbs widened when he looked over and saw his naked baby sister straddling Bonnie as Enzo ground into her from behind, Stefan behind him nibbling his ear. "Alright, sweetheart, time to go," he said briskly, grabbing her hand and tugging her behind him. She opened her mouth to protest but slammed it shut when she saw Stefan fall to his knees, Enzo's cock in his hand as Kat whispered instructions in his ear. She turned her head away and quickly followed her lover into the woods, grateful he hadn't wanted to stay and join. With his erratic behavior, she never knew in which direction he'd take them. Apparently incest was crossing the line. Or maybe he was just turned off by group sex. Either way, she was glad of it when they came to a halt in the middle of the forest, far from the beating drums and writhing masses of flesh.

"She's my sister," he said by way of explanation as he lit a cigarette, shaking his head to clear away the filthy image of Rebekah and Bonnie kissing in the nude.

"No complaints here," the blonde quipped as she took a cigarette from his pack and lit it off his. "We left the pot back there, though," she added with a frown. "Not that I'm suggesting we go back for it!"

Klaus chuckled at her as he reached into his back pocket. "It's alright. I've got something better anyway." He pulled out the tiny piece of paper and peeled off two of the remaining six squares and held them out to her. "Here you go, love. Two for you, two for me, and we'll save some for your concert."

"Okay, first off?" she sassed, one hand on her hip. "It's a _festival._ It's three days of peace, love and music. It is _not_ a concert." Klaus bit back a smile at her ire, pressing his lips firmly together. "Second, no way am I taking two hits, and neither are you. There are six of them and six of us. Why don't we just save it for the _festival_?"

Clearly opposed to that idea, Klaus didn't blink as he put two on his tongue, tucking two back in his pocket. "And now there are four. Not enough to share." He held up the remaining hits for her, but she just scoffed at him, crossing her arms over her chest with a huff. "Fine. Don't take them." Before she could protest, he put those on his tongue, too.

Caroline shoved him hard against the chest. "Klaus! Are you fucking crazy? You just did _four_ hits of acid!"

The veteran laughed as he regained his footing. "I'm arguable insane, yes," he agreed like it was all just a big joke and he didn't understand why she wasn't laughing along with him. He looked up at the endless stars overhead, eager for the drug to take affect and carry him away from this place. His blonde companion huffed hard through her nostrils and leaned up against a giant pine tree, furious beyond words. And Caroline Forbes _always_ had words.

The young hippie was watching him self-destruct and there was _nothing_ she could do to stop the inevitable train wreck she knew was coming. She'd heard stories about bad trips from her wilder friends at Berkeley, and it _always_ started with some idiot taking too many hits. She'd been nervous about taking just one, and he had just taken _four._ She didn't know what was going to happen, but she knew it wasn't going to be pleasant for the man spinning beneath the stars.

Klaus spun around and around as his body began to warm. He lit another cigarette and blew smoke rings in the air. A wide smile spread across his face when the rings started morphing into little fairies dancing around his head with their tiny wings.

"This isn't going to make it better, you know," Caroline commented, annoyance evident in her tone.

"Make what better, sweetheart?" he asked with a glassy expression as he sipped from his flask. When he held it out for her, she ripped it from his hand and dumped it out. He watched molten lava fall to the forest floor, confused how she'd gotten it in there in the first place. "What was that for?" he asked in a daze, unsure why she'd just melted a giant golden snail.

"You don't need anymore booze tonight, Klaus!" she shouted, getting in his face. "I know war is hell, but drowning your sorrows isn't going to make it go away," she said a little softer. "You need to talk about what happened."

A maniacal laugh bubbled up from the veteran's chest. "You want me to talk about the war?" he asked as though the concept was hysterical. "What do you know of it, little girl?" he demanded in a suddenly harsh tone, slamming his cigarette to the ground and stomping out the cherry as he stalked toward her. "What do you know about the things I've seen? Have you any idea the things I've _done?"_

Caroline knew he was trying to scare her, but she wasn't afraid of him. She squared her shoulders and held her ground as he came closer until they were nose to nose. She let her voice drop to nearly a whisper as she reached down and took his hand, offering up a gentle squeeze. "I know you had to do bad things, Klaus," she said softly. She inhaled a shaky breath as she steeled her resolve. "I know you might have even killed people."

The veteran ripped his hand away as though he'd been burned by her words, spinning around and separating them by several long strides. When he turned back to her, there was a darkness about him she'd never known. It chilled her to the bone as he laughed again. It was an evil sound that went racing down her spine and settled as a black pit in her gut. "You think I care about the lives I took?" He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply through his nostrils. "That's not what I think about when I close my eyes." When he opened them, there was a vacant void behind his cerulean orbs that told her he was somewhere far from here. "I'll tell you what I think about."

Caroline watched in horror as Klaus was pulled back into the jungle. His eyes were closed again, but she could still see that unending pain reflected in them. He spun around, arms in the air as if he was holding a gun. "Before I knew it, we were surrounded." He flung himself back against the tree, dropping the imaginary gun. "They got us. All of us." He dragged his feet along the cold, hard ground, leaving trails from his boots in the dirt. "And they carried us into hell." Her hand came up to cover her mouth as he recounted what happened the night the devil came for him.

_The Jungles of Vietnam, Six Months Earlier_

_Klaus and his men were shoved into a bamboo cage like animals, each of them bleeding in various places as the taste of copper filled their mouths, the stench of death heavy in the balmy jungle air._ They were going to die here. _He looked around at the cage of men, but his eyes focused on the four he called brothers. Tristan, Marcel and Diego all looked terrified; the latter was whimpering and sniveling like a schoolgirl. But Lucien… He had the same steel glint in his irises as his Lieutenant. They may go down, but it wouldn't be without a fight. And if one fell, they would all go down together._

_Three days past as they sat in that cage, biding their time. One by one, men were removed from their pack and questioned. Some came back. Others didn't. They didn't bother asking the other's names; they would be gone soon enough. On the second day, more men joined until they were shoulder to shoulder. Half of them were gone by the time the moon came. And all the while, Klaus and Lucien kept their cool, studying their enemy's every movement, learning their patterns, seeing who was in charge. They comforted their brothers when they could, but the other three men were lost to terror. It was up to them._

_They got their chance when the Vietnamese soldiers came for Klaus. He had positioned himself right by the corner so he would be the first body they saw when they pulled open the thatched door of their cage. He was ready for them, his brother quick on his heel. His fist landed hard across an enemy's nose, shattering it completely as blood blinded him. Lucien lunged forward, pushing both men out the door and kicking the frame hard enough to splinter it into a jagged spear. He used all of his might to rip free a stalk of bamboo, brandishing it in front of him. Klaus ripped the knife off the wounded soldier's belt and quickly and cleanly slashed his throat, quickly turning on his heel to lunge the blade into the lung of another. Lucien plunged the spear into the belly of a third attacker, sending him sprawling. Without hesitation, he picked up the spear and jammed it down into the man's neck. He gurgled and sputtered for a brief moment as crimson death poured out his mouth. And then he was still._

_Blood flew through the air as the sound of shouts and breaking bones deafened them all. The guerrillas were fierce warriors, but Klaus Mikaelson was a man on a mission. A wild beast that could not be tamed. He sliced through the carotid of the last enemy in sight before spinning around and lunging back toward the cage. He grabbed Tristan by the shoulder so ferociously that he felt the joint beneath his iron grip dislocate, but that didn't stop him from giving his brother a shove and telling him to run. He did the same for the remaining half dozen men before his eyes darted to Lucien's._

_They were free._

_Following the other soldiers through the dark jungle, they felt the first strike of pellets hit their shoulders. Quickly changing course, they doubled back to find the shooter. Lucien grabbed him by the hair and cleanly sliced through his jugular, red gushes of blood splattering all over Klaus' boots as he shoved the body aside. Again, they ran. Dead branches and foliage were heavy beneath their feet as they tried not to trip, but they would not be slowed as the wind whipped their bloody cheeks. They killed two more Vietnamese soldiers as they ran for their lives, their men still in sight._

_Seeing another solider coming toward Tristan as he lagged behind the others, Klaus lunged to the right, but he missed. Lucien jumped over his brother's bloody boots and landed a kick to the soldier's gut, but it wasn't enough to take him down. Lucien fell to the ground as the two men battled hand to hand, each landing punches and blocking blows. Klaus kicked the enemy in the ribs, using his jump of surprise as a chance to plunge his stolen blade up between his ribs, puncturing his lung. The man released a curdled cry before crumpling to the ground, dead._

_Klaus reached down to offer Lucien a hand but recoiled when a bamboo shoot fired from a dart gun pierced his wrist. Cursing, he pulled the wretched piece of wood out, but by the time he turned around, two soldiers were heading toward them with machetes. His eyes met his brother soldier's and in that moment, they knew they weren't both going to make it out alive. Lucien's eyes darted to Klaus' wrist. He was losing blood and fast. If he had any hope of survival, he needed to run and run_ now _. "GO!" he mouthed. Before Klaus could finish shaking his head no, Lucien lunged forward, knocking one of the men down. Klaus watched in horror as the blade of the machete glinted in the moonlight._

 _And then he was running. Klaus ran as far and as fast as his legs would carry him until he caught up with his men. They had to carry him on each side for almost an hour before they reached the American encampment. He was only vaguely aware of the sharp pain of the needle as the medic attended to the deep gash in his wrist, barely managing to stop the bleeding in time to save his life._ But he didn't want to be saved. _He wanted to go back in the jungle and save his fellow soldier. The last thing he remembered before he lost consciousness was sending up a prayer that his brother would be found._

_Lucien never came back from the jungle._

Klaus' maniacal laughter was a dark monster that brought tears to Caroline's sapphire eyes as he cackled beneath the moonlight. "And the men told of my bravery and they gave me a fucking _Silver Star!"_ he barked as though he'd never heard anything funnier in his life. "I left my brother to die and they call me a hero!" The demonic sound echoed off the giant pine trees as he doubled over, leaning against the nearest trunk to steady himself. "And do you want to know the best part?" he asked with hysterical tears in his eyes as he looked over at the horrified blonde silently weeping for him.

The veteran reached inside his shirt and pulled out what she'd always assumed were _his_ dog tags. "This is all they found of him!" He held them up in the moonlight and she could only vaguely make out the name _Lucien Castle._ Klaus cackled again as he tucked them back where they belonged. "His fucking dog tags! And they gave them to me! Tristan said he'd want _me_ to have them! To _remember_ him! As if I could ever fucking forget! I see his face every time I close my _fucking_ eyes!" His laughter somehow morphed into sobs as he fell to the forest floor, a broken boy whose innocence never came back from the jungle.

Caroline rushed forward when he started vomiting, thumping him on the back before slowing down to rub soothing circles over his denim jacket until all that was left were dry heaves as he sobbed hysterically. She didn't know if it was the acid that made him open up to her, or if he just couldn't hold in the pain any longer, but she felt a rush of gratitude that it was she who was with him that night. He rolled over and curled up on her chest as she leaned against that giant pine tree, her heart breaking for all that he'd endured. Hands fisted in her poncho, he clung to her like a small child as he wept into her sunshine curls, the image of that machete haunting him even with his eyes clenched tight against her neck.

The young girl knew now why soldiers didn't want to talk about the war. It wasn't the fact that they'd killed. It was the choices they'd made to survive. Klaus was a man broken by his demons and she was powerless against the monsters of his memory. There was nothing she could say to erase those images from his mind. All she could do was hold him as he cried for all that he'd lost, for all that was stolen from him. She held him until he mercifully lost consciousness, gently stroking his hair and kissing the top of his head, for once not stealing peeks at his scar. As she felt sleep come for her, she vowed to herself in that moment that she would still be there to hold him in the morning.

* * *

When Caroline woke up the next day, she was alone. Her lover's jacket covered her bare legs, making her acutely aware of her partial nudity. Looking around, she saw Klaus standing off in the distance, smoke swirling overhead as he watched the sunrise between the ancient pine trees. She approached him slowly and while she knew he could hear her coming, he didn't turn around. She tentatively reached her arms to wrap around his belly and hooked her chin over his shoulder, warming his back with her front. He inhaled deeply of his cigarette one last time before flicking it, the cherry blowing in the wind. His hands came to rest on hers as they stood together, quietly watching the sunrise.

"About last night…" she began quietly, but he cut her off.

"It was a bad trip," he said tersely, the finality of his tone halting anything she may have added. "You were right. Four was too many. I've learned my lesson, and we don't need to talk about it again."

The young blonde hippie sighed, nodding her head as she pressed her cheek to the back of his shoulder, breathing in his earthy scent. What could she say to that? Nothing. She had no words that would slay the demons consuming her lover. The best she could offer was a temporary reprieve from their onslaught. The longer she went without questioning him, the more she felt the muscles in his back relax. Finally, he turned around and wrapped her up in his strong arms. He brought his lips down to meet hers, gently parting them to slip his tongue inside her mouth.

Caroline had become his favorite drug; she was the high he would always chase. Their kiss quickly turned passionate as they stumbled against the nearest tree. She pulled his t-shirt over his arms and tossed it aside. With a quick tug, her poncho was lying forgotten on the forest floor. Her t-shirt and bra followed quickly behind, leaving her in just her panties. Klaus dropped to his knees, placing kisses along her soft skin on the way down. He hooked his fingers in her elastic waistband and slowly rolled the fabric down her legs. He looked up at her from beneath heavily lidded eyes, grinning wickedly at her imperceptible nod of approval.

Klaus lifted her leg and threw it over his shoulder, holding her thigh in place to steady her. She buried her hands in his unruly curls this time, preparing herself for the pleasure she knew was coming. He parted her lips with his fingers, placing a long, flat lick between her folds that left her shuddering against the harsh bark of the giant pine tree. He moved his mouth away from her hot center to place teasing kisses along the inside of her thighs, tantalizing her with nips and bites. He glided his nails up her legs before gently pushing one finger in her wet heat.

The vet settled further on his knees, tasting every inch of her creamy skin. He pressed kisses against her lower belly as he added a second finger, moving them slowly in and out of her soaking pussy. He nuzzled her folds, inhaling the spicy scent of her arousal and making her fingers tighten in his hair. Chuckling at her eagerness, he darted out his tongue to quickly lick her clit before continuing his tormenting trail of kisses all over her lower half. He dragged his tongue up and down her hip bones, nibbling his way back to her golden curls. He looked up to see her eyes closed in ecstasy, lips slightly parted as a gentle summer breeze blew through the forest. She was radiant and he couldn't help but worship at her feet.

The older man used his nose to nudge her legs further apart, granting him better access to her spread lips, two fingers still pumping in and out of her tight center. He pressed a kiss to her tight bundle of nerves, making her shiver in pleasure and spread her legs wider. She mewled softly when he pulled out his fingers only to gasp when he replaced them with his tongue. He lapped at her inner walls, fucking her hard and fast as he tasted her from the inside. He rubbed his nose against her clit as he ate her out with abandon, hoping to make her forget all that she'd seen and heard.

Klaus wasn't a good man, but he was a consummate lover. He took his time artfully building her up until the only word left in her head was the sound of his name rolling off her tongue. Her bare breasts heaved, nipples stiffened into little peaks as the wind blew over her naked body, the eroticism of being in the open outdoors only heightening her pleasure. He pulled back his tongue and replaced it quickly with two fingers, rapidly moving them in an out in a dizzying pace that had her panting and pleading with him for more. Unable to deny her anything, he wrapped his lips around her clit and sucked hard, flicking his tongue around and around until she shattered above him. Her whole body convulsed as she ripped painfully at his hair while he continued pumping in and out of her to help her ride out her high.

Setting her shaking leg back on the forest floor, Klaus got to his feet. He spun her around so her breasts were pressed against the harsh bark of the pine. He caressed the firm flesh of her ass with one hand as he freed his throbbing erection from his jeans, the knees now caked in dirt. He pressed the tip of his dripping length against the back of her slippery folds, making her moan as he teased her. Slowly, he pressed his cock into her warm center only to pull back out and rapidly thrust back in, making her jump.

"Does that feel good, sweetheart?" he cooed in her ear, his hands rubbing up and down her bare shoulders, caressing every inch of her he could reach. She hummed her answer, her arms pinned between her body and the tree. She spread her legs a bit further apart to make more space for him to maneuver as he again pulled out and quickly thrust back into her. "Do you like the feel of my cock slamming into you as I take you from behind, right out here where anyone could see?" She nodded her head, cheeks flaming in embarrassment at how much she was enjoying the freedom of being outdoors. He chuckled against her shoulder, nipping at her tender flesh as he pounded into her.

Klaus closed his eyes as he fucked her hard and fast, losing himself in the feeling of her fleshy walls slick with arousal. He could still taste her on his lips and it spurred him on. He pulled back just a bit to change the angle so that every thrust hit her in just the right spot to make her whimper as pressure began to build in her lower belly, a coil of energy ready to explode. He reached between her and the harsh bark to massage her clit with two fingers, making her cry out his name and beg him to go faster. He obliged, quickening his pace as he brought her to the edge for the second time that morning. His fingers circled her rosy bud a few more times and she was gone. Lightning flashed before her eyes as a powerful orgasm electrocuted her from the top of her golden curls to the bottom of her toes. She was only vaguely aware of it when her lover toppled over the edge behind her, spilling his seed deep within her pulsating walls.

Resting his forehead against the sweaty skin of her shoulders, Klaus pulled out his dripping cock and pushed it back in his jeans before pulling up the zipper. He flipped them around so he could take Caroline in his arms as they sank down by the roots of the enormous pine tree. She curled up on his dewy chest, eyes closed in ecstasy as her bare breasts rose and fell while she struggled to catch her breath. When her hand fell against the hard planes of his chest, she felt the steel beads of his dog tag chain and quickly moved her fingers to the side. She placed a gentle kiss over his tattoo before nuzzling against the black ink, content to rest in his arms for a few more minutes before they had to go find their friends.

As Caroline lay sleepily against his chest, Klaus pulled a joint out of his pocket and sparked it up, inhaling deeply of the burning greens. He felt a calm wash over him as his beast was forced back in its cage. Smelling the pungent aroma of marijuana, the blonde opened her eyes, blearily looking up at him. He offered it to her and she took it gladly, taking a small hit of the hydroponic pot before handing it back to him. "Don't get too stoned. I need you to help me find my pants." She hadn't meant it as a joke, but for the first time since they'd reunited, Klaus burst into genuine laughter. It was a joyous sound that rang off the trees and had her joining in. "I'm serious!" she wheezed, clutching her sides. "I have no idea where they are!"

Klaus pressed a kiss to the top of her head before taking one last hit of the joint and tapping it out in the dirt. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll make sure we find your pants," he promised with a chuckle as they got to their feet and started gathering what clothing they could find. Joining hands, they walked together through the woods, Caroline's legs bare in the summer breeze. Luckily, her bell bottoms were right where she'd left them on the log by the remnants of last night's bonfire. She slipped them on, ignoring whistles from her girlfriends as she shot them a middle finger.

"You missed a wild ride, Care," Bonnie said giddily, eyes wide with excitement at the prospect of the day ahead. Taking in the dirt on Klaus' knees, she sniggered. "But I guess you two cats did okay."

"Can we _please_ not talk about what my _brother_ did in the woods all night?" Rebekah sniped in disgust, dramatically turning her head and tossing her long, straight locks over her shoulder.

"Yes, let's not," Klaus agreed darkly, shooting Caroline a knowing glance. She mimed zipping her mouth shut and throwing away the key; the simple gesture put him at ease. "How far away is this concert?"

" _Festival!"_ three feminine voices shrieked in unison.

The veteran pulled out his flask and took a sip. "Festival," he corrected himself with a roll of his topaz eyes.

"It's about three hours southeast," Kat answered as she came up to their group to lead them back to the Peacemobile. She hooked an arm around Bonnie's shoulder and pulled her forward for a deep kiss with a lot of very visible tongue. "You sure you don't want to stay?" she asked with a lewd grin.

Enzo came up from behind and pulled his girlfriend away. "She's busy today, but perhaps we'll come back and visit another time, gorgeous." The way he was eyeing her up and down appeased the sassy brunette enough to wiggle her eyebrows seductively before spinning on her heel. She beckoned them to follow her with a crook of her finger.

"Kat, it's been real," Stefan said as he clasped hands with their guide and pulled her in for a half-hug. "Thanks for letting us crash."

"Anything for my Bon Bon," Kat teased with a wink, enjoying the way Enzo's eyes narrowed as he placed a possessive arm over the black woman's shoulder. Bonnie just patted him on the hand before rolling her eyes as they all climbed into the van. Kat waved to them from the edge of the path as they drove out of sight with Stefan once again behind the wheel.

Caroline had resumed her place on her cotton candy pink beanbag, golden curls resting against Klaus' thigh. He idly ran his fingers through her hair, a gesture that seemed to soothe him as he stared blankly out the window while the rest engaged in a lively conversation about the days to come. It was a surprise to no one when he lit up a joint ten minutes after they hit the road. Deciding to follow suit, Enzo pulled one from his endless supply and the four of them not driving split it among them. They past the time listening to great music and chatting happily. Before they knew it, they had arrived.

"Woah," was all Caroline had to say when she looked out the window and saw more bodies in one place than she ever had in her life. There were so many people that they had no hope of even seeing the stage from their current position. The air was pungent with the smoky aroma of burning marijuana mixed in with sweat and arousal. It was the summer of love and everywhere she looked, couples were making love right out in the open. She looked over to Klaus and blushed, knowing their time would come. He flashed her a knowing grin, coming up behind her with his knapsack slung over one shoulder and placed his palm flat against the small of her back.

Together, the six friends ventured into the milieu. It looked like the thing to do was set up camp wherever they could and then venture up to the crowds to watch the shows with the masses. The first night went by in a haze of music and marijuana, each act blending into the other. By the time Joan Baez closed the night around 2:00am, they were all completely spent. Klaus looked to Caroline and saw they way her eyes were closing with every step. He gently scooped her up and cradled her against his chest, smirking when he heard Enzo mutter, _Showoff_ , under his breath. The athleticism forced upon him by the U. S. Army did have its advantages.

There was an entire tent city set up behind the crowds with thousands of camping tents and other makeshift shelters set up, hippies milling all around. Stefan and Rebekah decided to set up a tent, as did Bonnie and Enzo. They wanted to be one with nature and sleep with the ground beneath their heads. That left the van empty for the taking. Klaus was just fine with that, having spent more than enough time on jungle floors. He gently lay Caroline down on the rubber floor of the Peacemobile before climbing in behind her. He spooned her from behind, kissing her temple as he drifted off to sleep. They did the same thing the next day, screaming themselves hoarse and smoking more pot than the human body could possibly be expected to handle. They smoked when they wanted to; they fucked when they wanted to; they slept when they wanted to. It was hedonism run amok. _It was glorious._

Sunday afternoon was when the rains came. Klaus and Caroline were standing only a dozen rows back when Joe Cocker wailed out _With a Little Help From My Friends_. Like thousands of others, they put away their air guitars and made a break for it when the thunder began to crack. The vet scooped her up and threw her on his back, her legs wrapped around his waist as she screamed her excitement in his ear. They were caked in mud and there was no escaping from the rain. He ran them through the fields and didn't stop until they were in sight of a small pond. Once they were free from the bulk of the crowds, they fell to the ground in a heap, laughing hysterically.

A thought occurred to Klaus as he lay flat on his back coated in mud, clothes soaked through. He reached frantically into his back pocket and pulled out what remained of his precious blotter. "Oh, no, babe!" Caroline laughed, clutching her sides as she rolled on her back. "The rain melted your acid!" She cackled at his crestfallen expression. He clearly didn't see the humor in their situation the way she did. Of course, she wasn't trying to escape demons that wouldn't let her rest. He envied her as she lay giggling in the rain, content to just _be._ Her head rolled to the side, a bright smile hidden beneath layers of muck and days of grime. "Come here. I've got something better anyway." When she reached out her hand, he couldn't help but go to her.

Klaus rolled over in the mud, a fire in his eyes as he climbed on top of the sunshine blonde, her hair brown with muck. He crashed his lips down on hers as the rain beat down on them. Their tongues danced together as thunder cracked in the distance, adding to their frenzied excitement. They had to work together to peel Caroline's drenched poncho from her body, but they managed. Getting them both out of their slick jeans was an even greater challenge, but they rose to the occasion. Soon enough, they were naked in each other's arms. There were other couples nearby, but they didn't care. It was the time of free love in a summer of endless possibilities. He pushed away all thought of the jungle as he spread her folds with his fingers, his thumb finding her little nub.

"Klaus, yes!" she cried out, arching her back when he pressed two fingers into her. Her body was slick with rain and days of dirt, but he didn't care. He leaned down to take one perky nipple between his teeth, nibbling it like a precious delicacy. He could feel her walls wet and warm against his fingers as he pumped them rapidly in and out of her, circling her clit over and over. She dragged her nails down his back, panting and shivering in the mud. The sounds of other couples and the eroticism of being outdoors made her hippie heart sing. He hooked his fingers inside her and she was gone. She cried out his name as she rode his hand up and down by the pond until the wave of pleasure washed over her, leaving her breathless and aching for more.

Klaus leaned down and kissed her closed eyelids, slowly pulling his fingers from her core and smirking when she whimpered at the loss. "Don't worry, love," he whispered in her ear, nibbling the shell as he tweaked her nipple, "you'll have something else filling that eager hole soon enough."

The blonde's eyes snapped open, a mischievous glint behind them. "You promise?" She only saw him respond with the briefest of nods before she suddenly wrapped her legs around his hips and used all of her force to roll them into the pond. She pushed him off of her, laughing hysterically at his shocked expression, his naked body glistening with droplets from the top and bottom.

"Oh, I will get you for that!" She squealed as she got to her feet, but she never made it out of the shallow water. Klaus grabbed her around the middle and picked her up with ease, tossing her over his shoulder and venturing in until the water was at his midline. He delivered a sharp slap to her bare ass as he set her down, wrapping his arms around her lower back so she couldn't escape, not that she wanted to. She smiled up at him, still laughing, as she pushed her muddy tendrils out of her face. The rain beat down on them from above, but they didn't care. Nothing could stop their passion now, not even a thunderstorm. She leaned up and kissed him, lightly loosening his grip around her waist.

Klaus barely had time to process that same mischievous glint in her sapphire eyes before she'd slipped down from his arms and fallen to her knees, head just below the water. He sucked in a deep breath and quickly grabbed her curls to steady himself when he felt her hot lips wrap around his cock. "Fuck," he gasped out loud when she came up for air, giggling as she used her hand to stroke him up and down beneath the water. "Do that again," he implored her emphatically, nodding his head up and down in encouragement. Crinkling her nose at him adorably, she let her legs give out and sunk down to the shallow floor of the pond, knees sinking into the muck.

Caroline wrapped her lips around his shaft, swirling her tongue around his head and tasting his salty precum. She bobbed up and down as long as she could before coming up for air, each time stroking him with her hand in place of her mouth. After a few more rounds, Klaus had had enough. He pulled her up to him by her gold-again curls and lifted her up to wrap her legs around his waist. The water came up to just below her breasts as she sank down on top of him, sheathing him in her wet heat. He parted her lips with his tongue, eagerly kissing her as they both began to move. They fit together perfectly as they made love in the water in a field in New York in the summer of love.

The vet ran his nails down her spine, making her press her breasts against his chest, her nipples scraping his dog tags. For once, he didn't both to move them out of the way as he enjoyed the feeling of her skin on his. He cupped her ass, plunging his cock deeper in her pussy as she rode him up and down. Together, they set a punishing rhythm, oblivious to the other couples around them doing the same. Klaus cupped her breast in his large hand, caressing it with both passion and tenderness in equal measure. His kissed and nipped his way down her neck to take the other nipple in his mouth as he pleasured her from the inside out.

Caroline threw her head back, legs wrapped tightly around his waist as their bodies rutted together. She opened her mouth to catch a few falling raindrops on her tongue, laughing out with glee at the simple joy. She felt at peace with the world, the spirit of the times alive within her entire being. She bounced up and down on Klaus' cock without a care in the world but the growing coil in her lower belly. She held one arm around his broad shoulders to steady herself as she wound her fingers in his unruly curls to bring his mouth back up to hers. She pushed her tongue into his mouth, licking the back of his teeth while she explored every inch of him. She moved to change the angle just the slightest and grinned into their kiss when she felt his fingertips dig into the soft flesh of her ass.

Klaus released her breast, cascading his nails down her flat belly on the way to her golden curls. He gently parted her lips beneath the water and circled her clit with the tip of one finger, stimulating her just enough to cry out his name. Her motions grew more and more erratic as she chased her high, his cock moving in and out of her tight hole at a brutal pace beneath the water as the rain beat a gentle drum of drops against the surface of the pond. She could feel herself growing closer and gyrated her hips in a circle, encouraging him to rub her little bud harder and faster. She chanted out his name over and over as she felt her orgasm race from her core to the tips of her fingers and toes in a dizzying rush that left her clinging to his shoulders as he continued to pound up into her.

"I'm not done yet, sweetheart," he warned against her neck as he suckled her pulse point.

Caroline ripped him up by the curls to bring his lips to hers. "I'm never done."

When he smirked at her lecherously, she could swear she saw a hint of the boy she'd known before the war. She didn't have time to process that revelation, however, as he used that moment to swing her around. He cradled her to his chest and he walked the few feet to the shore before flipping her over onto her hands and knees, her squeals blending in with the other sounds engulfing them as the rain continued to fall from above.

The hippie's ample breasts swayed beneath her, nipples barely scraping the muddy shore as Klaus teased her folds with the tip of his cock. The veteran groaned as he pressed his length into her wet heat, knees sinking into the muddy ground at the edge of the pond. She balanced on one hand to get her curls out of her eyes and saw a couple of hippies in a similar position about twenty feet away. Her eyes momentarily locked on the lecherous sight before her, acutely aware that they were watching her be taken from behind on her hands and knees. The woman blew her kiss before returning to her lover, making Caroline blush.

Klaus noticed what she was watching and wound one hand in her messy curls to keep them from falling in her face again as he set the rhythm. "Do you like that?" he asked huskily as he moved inside her, caressing her ass with his spare hand. "Having everyone see me take you like this? Does it make you wet, hmm?" She nodded her head, hips bucking back against his to take more of him. "You do like it. You like having everyone see you, having everyone watch you fall apart for me."

"Mmm yeah, I love it. Fuck me harder, Klaus," she moaned, eyes wide open as she took in the sights and sounds of the festival. She didn't know any of the other couples making love around them, but that didn't matter. She felt connected to each and every one of them and it only heightened her pleasure as her lover slammed into her in a punishing rhythm. "Harder!" she groaned between clenched teeth, riding his cock from her hands and knees. He tugged harshly as her hair as he picked up the pace, making her cry out his name as a coil built between her thighs. She was acutely aware of everything around them: the feel of the mud against her hardened nipples, the water coming up to her thighs, the curious eyes all around, the rain falling on her back, and especially the feeling of his shaft as he fucked her hard and fast in that pond.

Klaus rested his weight on top of her to reach around and massage her clit with two fingers, sending her flying. Her eyes rolled shut as pleasure began to overtake her, the rest of the world fading away until they were all that remained. When her legs began to shake, he cooed, "Take it for me love; take my cock…" She eagerly ground back against him as she began to shatter, his filthy words sending her over the edge. Her fleshly walls clamping and pulsing all around him triggered his own release as he spilled his seed inside her. He gripped her hips, nails digging into her soft skin as he pounded into her through their orgasms before they collapsed on the shore, rain still pounding down on them as they bathed in the ecstasy of the moment. Chest heaving, he pulled her to him and pressed a hard kiss to the top of her curls before letting his head fall back against the shore.

They didn't know how much time passed as they lay there getting rained on, but it didn't matter. Screams in the distance told them the show must have been starting again, and that seemed like as good a reason as any to get up. Just as Caroline got to her feet, she noticed the rigidity in Klaus' posture. She put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You ok?" she asked quietly.

The vet held up a finger. "Listen." Not hearing anything out of the ordinary, she stood and waited for something. Just when she was about to question him again, a small airplane came into view. People all around were pointing at the sky as items began to fall. Looking up at him excitedly, he rolled his eyes and took her hand as they ran, still naked, through the field to see what had been dropped. Hundreds of people were running in the same direction, but Klaus had strength and speed on almost all of them. He managed to grab a few things and brought them back to his lover, pride shining all over his face.

"Dry clothes!" Caroline squealed happily, clapping her hands together giddily as she bounced up and down. Smiling with his dimples, he pulled a fresh flower from behind his back, only a few petals caked with mud. She took it happily, leaning forward to peck him on the lips before putting the little flower behind her ear. He hadn't found much by way of clothes. He managed to retrieve a floral dress she would never _ever_ wear and an oversize knit poncho that was actually entirely her style. "You can have the dress," she offered charitably as she pulled the giant poncho on over her nude body.

Klaus smirked before walking off, still completely naked, and coming back five minutes later with a fresh pair of baggy hemp pants. "Traded if for the dress. Not my style, but at least they're dry." He simply shrugged, but she couldn't help the way her eyes roved over his bare chest, grateful that he hadn't traded for a shirt as well. She had to hand it to him – his time in the jungle had definitely made him resourceful. Walking hand in hand, they went back to the pond to retrieve their muddy clothes before beginning the long walk back to their friends.

The moon was high overhead by the time they found their way back to the Peacemobile and Caroline was exhausted. Half the crowd of 400,000 had already cleared out, but she knew her friends better than to think they wouldn't want to stay until Jimi Hendrix closed out the show the next morning. All she wanted was to go to bed. Dropping her muddy clothes by the wheel, she practically collapsed face forward onto her bean bag. Klaus chuckled as he climbed in behind her, immediately going to the pocket of his denim jacket laying on the back seat. He lit up a joint and took a deep hit before offering it to her. She raised her face from the bean bag to stare at him incredulously. "Go on. It'll help you perk up a bit. Don't you want to watch the rest of your _festival_?" he teased playfully.

"I want to watch the back of my eyelids," she moaned, rolling onto her back and letting her arm flop over her forehead as she stared up at him taking another toke off the joint. "Pot's just going to zonk me out at this point."

Klaus eyed her contemplatively as he inhaled again, enjoying the way his thoughts dulled as he flew higher and higher. He didn't know what he was going to do with his life, but he knew he wanted the radiant young blonde to be a part of it. And he _definitely_ knew he wasn't ready to go to sleep yet. He was used to sleeping in short bursts and they'd napped for at least an hour by the edge of the pond. He felt re-energized and ready for anything… anything except being alone with his thoughts. Caroline was a welcome respite from his waking nightmares, and he knew that she'd been excited about the final night of the show.

"Then perhaps we need something a bit stronger," he suggested easily, pulling on fresh jeans and pulling out his wallet from the old and counting his ample supply of cash. He and Rebekah came from money. Their mother had been so enthused that Klaus actually had plans beyond drinking himself half to death that she'd made a generous donation to their trip, most of which had gone unspent since camping didn't really cost all that much.

Caroline eyed him warily. She was up for a good time, but she _definitely_ did not want a repeat of the other night. She might have been agreeable if he was suggesting something like more shrooms – they had been fun – but she wasn't going to let him do anything stronger. "What were you thinking?"

The veteran shrugged. "Heard a rumor about a guy with some blow," he said casually, like he was suggesting they go out for cups of coffee and not a deadly stimulant.

The blonde snapped up, pulling herself up next to him on the bench seat. "Seriously, Klaus?" she screeched. "You want to go score some _cocaine_?" He blinked a few times, head a little foggy from the marijuana. He clearly didn't understand what the problem was. "No," she said firmly, pointing a finger at him. "The last thing you need is more drugs. The answer is no."

"Me?!" he demanded loudly, fists clenched at his side as he ground his molars together. "Who was it who invited me to a party on the ground that they had really good drugs?"

"Yeah, Klaus, pot! My friends and I smoke _pot,"_ she corrected him in frustration, "and we do it for _fun._ "

"That's what I'm doing it for, too," he argued, a familiar burning feeling growing behind his ears as he struggled to keep his temper in check.

"No, you're doing it to escape from something, and," she began accusatorially, but he cut her off, jumping up from the bench as much as he could in the van.

"Well can you bloody fucking blame me?" he shouted, ripping the door open. It was suddenly too hot and stifled in the van despite the cool mountain temperature as they neared midnight. He grabbed a spare t-shirt off the floor and pulled it on to cover up Lucien's dog tags, unable to even think about them as he climbed outside. He lit a much-needed cigarette and leaned his head against the side of the giant peace sign, knowing his companion wasn't going to just leave well enough alone. He made it through half before her blonde head came peeking out the door. "Not now, Caroline," he barked before she was even fully outside.

The hippie ignored his wishes completely, grabbing a pair of bell bottoms and wiggling into them under the giant poncho before slipping on her still soggy moccasins. She turned to face him, hands on her hips. "Klaus, you have a problem, and I'm not you any favors if I don't say anything about it." The veteran grunted out a response, piggybacking one cigarette off the other and flicking the finished butt to the wind. She waved her hand in front of his face. "Hell- _o_!" she shouted. "You can't just ignore me here!" As if to prove her wrong, he simply inhaled another drag, blowing smoke rings casually overhead. She stomped her foot on the ground petulantly, huffing out in annoyance. "You can't just go through life getting high and fucking all the time!"

Klaus turned his head to face her, expression advertising that he thought she was very slow. "Sweetheart, 400,000 people all gathered here to do _exactly_ that. What makes them any different from me?"

Caroline groaned, running her hand through her dirty, disheveled curls. She really needed a proper shower. And bed. And less stubborn lover. Resigning herself to not getting any of those things, she shook her head and inhaled a deep breath to collect herself. The man before her had been through hell. She could have a little sympathy for him… even if she did want to rip his stupid, arrogant, inconveniently handsome face off. "Look, babe," she said in a gentler tone, taking a step toward him, "I know you were through a lot, but-"

"You don't know _ANYTHING!"_ he suddenly bellowed, ripping his elbow away when she got too close. He stepped away and rounded on her. "You think you know me because I got high and told you my story? What do you know about what it was really like? To have done the things I've done? To lose what I lost and to be the one still standing? The one everyone _expects_ something from – that's who I am. My mother and father expect me to go back to the army like a good little soldier. My sister expects me not to embarrass her in front of her friends with my gloomy attitude. And you!"

The angry veteran took a step closer until they were nose to nose. He could see that her lower lip was quivering, but he was on a roll as all the pain and anger of the last six months came bubbling to the surface. "What do _you_ expect from me, Caroline?" He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her close, his breath hot against her face. "You want me to be the wounded puppy you nurse back to health with sunshine and easy sex? Well, fuck _that_ , and fuck _them,_ and fuck _you!"_ She sucked in a deep breath, willing the tears in her eyes not to fall. "I am _broken,_ and no amount of _pot_ and _music_ is going to fix me, so stop fucking trying and mind your own goddamn business!" He shoved her away and stormed off before her tears hit the damp ground.

Klaus was a mess. The ground was still slick with mud slippery beneath his soggy boots. About half the crowds had gone home, but the tent city was still alive and well. He stalked through the campers, carefully assessing who had what. His heart skipped a beat when he smelled something familiar. It was sticky and sweet and promised sweet release from his demons… for a few hours, anyway.

But then there was Caroline. He knew what she would say if he showed up with _that_. He walked past the scent of delicious freedom and paused behind a giant pine tree to collect his thoughts. He reached into his pocket and pulled out half a joint, lighting up between his thumb and index finger and inhaling deeply. The calming effects of the drug soon helped slow his racing emotions enough to think. He knew she was fine with booze and bud, but drew the line at the hard stuff. He could probably talk her into more hallucinogens, but he didn't want to risk his tongue loosening again. No, it was better to maintain some semblance of control.

"Hey, man, can I get a hit?" a voice interrupted.

Klaus looked over and saw a dirty hippie in muddy jeans and no shirt looking at him expectantly. Considering how much he'd smoked that hadn't belonged to him in recent days, he supposed he could share. Shrugging, he handed it over to the grateful man. Just then, a face in the crowd caught his eye and he froze dead in his tracks. He blinked to focus his eyes and the vision was gone. He shook his head, trying to get it back, but there was nothing there. His brain was playing tricks on him. He was so desperate for what he wanted to be real that he was actually fucking seeing things that couldn't possibly exist. He was only vaguely aware of the hippie trying to return his joint. "Keep it," he said offhandedly as his feet began to move of their own accord.

The vet let his nose lead the way to the tent where he'd picked up on the sweet smell of burning heroin. He rapped his knuckles against the canvas. "How much?" he asked without preamble as soon as an older woman poked her head out of the tent. She was missing half her teeth and had the appearance of someone who'd aged prematurely. While he knew that was probably a bad sign for what he was about to do, he didn't care. He just wanted to get high and disappear from the world.

"You need a rig?"

He nodded, knowing exactly what she meant. "And a spoon."

"Hundred," the old woman replied in a raspy voice that sounded like she'd smoked two packs a day since infancy. He didn't hesitate to hand it over, taking a small package of tin foil in return as well as something wrapped up in a piece of newspaper. "Take it easy, sugar. That's that good stuff. You know, from over there."

"Yeah, I know it," he replied darkly, palming it in his fist. Heroin was popular with the soldiers in Vietnam. They saw such horrors that it was easier to just numb it out. He'd never touched the stuff himself until after he'd been held as a POW, but then he'd given in. Had seen no reason not to. Lucien was dead and he'd let it happen. What kind of life could he ever hope to lead? Certainly not one with a sunshine blonde filled with days of music and nights of love. He didn't deserve her. What he deserved was to sink down next to a pine tree and shoot himself to oblivion.

With so many people getting high all around, he didn't even bother to hide what he was doing as he poured a few flecks of brown powder from the tin foil onto the spoon and added water from the nearest puddle. He held his Zippo under the mixture until it began to bubble, and then sucked up the liquid with the syringe he'd paid extra for. He carefully closed the foil and tucked it in the front pocket of his jeans before pulling off his belt, the syringe secured between his teeth. He wrapped the belt around his bicep and pulled it tight, swapping the end of it with the syringe.

Just as he was selecting a vein, Klaus heard a voice he swore he'd never heard again ring out clear as day. "You don't have to do that, mate."

As soon as he looked up, the veteran dropped the syringe. It landed forgotten on the ground and rolled just beyond reach, but Klaus didn't care. There was a hand reaching out to him. Mindlessly, he took it and got to his feet, mouth dropping open in shock at the most welcome sight he'd ever seen. "Lucien."

His fellow soldier's face lit up. "Nik." Klaus fell forward as Lucien pulled him in for a fierce embrace, one he eagerly returned.

Klaus shook his head, sure he was hallucinating the entire thing. When had he done that acid? It had been days… Maybe the pot was laced? No, he would have noticed. He pulled back and sure enough, Lucien was still there smiling back at him. He was in shock, his whole body frozen. A million questions raced through his broken mind, but all he managed to stutter out was, "H-how?"

"How am I alive you mean?" Lucien asked with a grin.

"I saw you die," Klaus proclaimed, shaking his head as his mind refused to accept what his eyes were seeing.

"Might want to get your eyes checked, mate," Lucien teased with a wink. "Come. Let's walk. I'll fill you in." Klaus immediately took a step toward him, the syringe crunching under his boot. His friend smiled when Klaus just walked on, abandoning his mission to lose himself. The two men walked through the tents, one still in a daze, until they reached a relatively quiet patch of a nearby field. Lucien pulled off his jacket and lay it on the still damp ground, gesturing for his friend to join him.

"How is this possible?" Klaus asked, still in a state of utter disbelief. "I saw two men-"

"You say two men _try_ ," he corrected him. "And try they did. Almost succeeded, too." He lifted up his linen tunic to show Klaus an eight-inch scar across his chest and abdomen that could only have come from the machete that still haunted his dreams. "I took one of them down before the other sliced me. I thought I was done for, but I managed to get the upper hand. Slit his throat right before he slit mine. When their comrades came looking for them, I hid under their bodies. Those commie bastards just left their brothers to rot. Lucky for me."

"Lucky for you," Klaus repeated numbly, the reality of the situation just starting to set in. "How in the bloody hell did you get out of that damn jungle with _that_?" He nodded his head at his friend's torso before showing him his own wrist. "This little thing damn near killed me, but they cut you nearly in half. Why didn't you die?"

Lucien barked out a laugh as he lit a joint and took a hit. He offered it to his friend but, for once, Klaus wanted to be sober. Shrugging when the other man shook his head, he took another hit before snuffing it out to save for later. "Farmers."

"Farmers?"

"Farmers." Lucien shrugged, chuckling good-naturedly. "I was in that damn jungle all night and half the next day, I'd say. I stumbled into a village and I thought I was done for. This older couple found me on the outskirts and dragged me to this hut right in the middle of town. I thought it was to kill me, but it wasn't. A tiny woman speaking a language I didn't know came in and cleaned me up. Passed out when she got to the sewing and woke up two days later. Turns out, this lady's husband was once a soldier during the French occupation."

Klaus felt his upper lip curl into a smirk. "You were saved by the French?"

"Not _the_ French. A soldier _from_ France. Ran from his camp in the early 50s when he fell in love with a village girl and never went back. Country thinks he's MIA." A shadow of a frown crossed over Lucien's face as he turned to his old friend. "Speaking of, I'm going to need you to keep this little reunion to yourself. Uncle Sam doesn't exactly know I'm back. You feel me?"

Klaus shook his head. "What? What do you mean keep it to myself?" Anger started to bubble up inside him. "I mourned your death! I cried for you! Brought the letter to your parents myself _in person_ before I even went home to my own parents! Do they even know you're alive?" he demanded fiercely, eyes flashing in the moonlight.

"Oh, calm down, Nik." Lucien rolled his eyes. "You were always one for the theatrics."

Klaus grabbed his fellow soldier by the collar of his tunic and ripped him forward until they were nose to nose. " _Do they know?"_ he growled between clenched teeth.

Lucien pushed him off. "No!" he confessed to Klaus' horror. "I'm going to tell them," he promised, holding up a hand in a placating gesture of surrender. "But I'm not going back, Nik. I'm not finishing my time. I gave enough for that war, and I'm not giving the U.S. Army another day. They all think I'm missing in action, and I'm content to let them think that."

"And me?" he snarled, tears springing to his eyes as his fists curled at his sides. "What of your brothers? Were you content to just let us think you were dead, too?"

"I'm telling you now, aren't I?" Lucien spat defensively.

"Only because you ran into me!"

"I saw you in the crowd and went to find you. There's a difference," he countered firmly. "I could have just left without seeing you, but I didn't."

"Oh, how noble. St. Fucking Lucien," he huffed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. He offered one to his friend and shook his head, arms draped over his knees. "Were you ever going to tell me?"

Lucien nodded, inhaling from his cigarette. "Yeah, once I get to Canada. Stopped by this little shindig on my way north, where I'll be free from the man. What about you? What brings Niklaus Mikaelson to Woodstock?" he asked curiously, both knowing it wasn't the kind of thing either of them would have normally sought out.

Klaus sighed morosely as he recalled their earlier argument. "Got invited by a girl," he replied awkwardly.

Lucien barked out a laugh, laying back on the ground with his hands behind his head so he could look up at the stars. "Go on, mate. Tell me all about her."

With a resigned groan, Klaus lit another cigarette before diving in to the story with Caroline. He recounted how she'd invited him to the party and how one thing had led to another. He told him about the road trip, and about her friends who'd be so welcoming to an angry veteran who kept stealing all their pot. Lucien laughed at that. He told the story of their magical night on acid, and the far less magical version of his bad trip. Finally, he told him all about their fight, about how he'd ruined the best thing to ever happen to him.

Sighing, Klaus sat up and pulled the steel chain of Lucien's dog tags over his head for the first time since he'd put them there. "I should give these back to you," he offered, dangling them over his friend's scarred chest.

Lucien sat up, too. He curled his hand around the dog tags and pushed them back against his friend's chest, shaking his head. "Keep them, mate. Let it be a reminder that nothing is ever _really_ lost." They shared a meaningful glance in the silence of that field as the sun began to rise before Klaus reluctantly shook his head and put the dog tags back around his neck. "If you love this girl, go find her. Don't let her get away, Nik. You'll only regret it if you do."

Klaus inhaled deeply and ran his hands through his hair as he thought about it. He got to his feet, shaking off the dirt from his jeans. He looked down at his friend with a quirked brow. "Well? You coming?"

"What do you need me for?" Lucien asked in confusion.

Klaus barked out a laugh. "Mate, if I go back there and tell her this without you, she'll be convinced I scored more than a little blow." Lucien chuckled as he got to his feet, supposing that was probably true.

Klaus, as it turned out, was not wrong. Again. Had Caroline not seen the mysterious Lucien Castle with her own two eyes, she never would have believed her lover's story. She hadn't even wanted to hear it from him, insisting on hearing Lucien's words for herself. She read Klaus the riot act, berating him for all nearby to hear about the way he'd spoken to her. He just stood there listening with a look of utter remorselessness. If it hadn't been for that fight, he wouldn't have run into Lucien in tent city. Mercifully, his friend hadn't mentioned what Klaus was about to do when he'd found him, only that they'd crossed paths. By the time Sha Na Na finished their set, she had reluctantly forgiven him.

"Caroline!" a voice called as several sets of footsteps approached. "There you are! We've been having _such_ a far out time! We danced and ate organic corn with these guys from a commune and- who are you?"

"Lucas," Lucien said in a suddenly French accent that threw Klaus and Caroline through a loop. "Lucas Forte. I'm an old friend of Nik's from another life."

"He goes by Klaus now."

The veteran just shrugged. "Nik is fine, too."

Lucien smiled wide. "And you must be Bonnie. A pleasure." He held out his hand and the surprised young black woman took it for a shake. "And Rebekah, good to see you. Now, which of you is Stefan and which of you is Enzo?"

"I'm him," Stefan said, holding out his hand and cocking his head at his friend. "That's Enzo. And no offense, but Jimi Hendrix is about to close out the show, and we don't want to miss it."

"Oh, but you're welcome to come!" Caroline said brightly, intertwining her hand with her lover's and beaming up at him. "Any friend of Nik's, right?"

Lucien shrugged, smiling politely. "Sure, why not?"

"Run ahead, love. I'll be right behind you," Klaus said as he pecked her on the lips. She returned his kiss with a sweet one of her own before joining her friends as they all waded through the cars and crowds to the stage. "So, what happens now? Will I ever see you again?"

"Actually, I was hoping you'd come with me." Klaus stopped dead in his tracks, staring at his friend incredulously. "So, here's the thing. My French soldier friend has friends with a commune in north Ontario. Their claim to fame is that they boast the best Mary Jane their side of the border. So, once I get up there, I'll be set. But, you see, I haven't exactly arranged transport across the border yet..."

"And my friends have a van," Klaus finished for him, smirking.

"So, how about it, mate? One last trip, for old time's sake?" Lucien asked hopefully, hands stuffed in the pockets of his hemp pants. "Uh, if it helps, you can tell them I'll pay for their troubles with a pound of the best hydroponic they've ever seen."

Klaus smiled at him with his dimples, happy for the first time in a long time. "I'll see what I can do."

They caught up to Caroline just as Jimi Hendrix took the stage and started to wail out the national anthem. Her screams of excitement were deafening even as far as they were from the main platforms. Once she calmed down, he ran Lucien's plan by her as they shared a joint from the Canadian pot farmers. The excitement in her eyes was undeniable even though she kept her features carefully composed. He held out his hand as guitar chords filled the air. "So, how about it, love? Can you do a favor for an old solider?"

Caroline eyed his outstretched palm with a raised brow, blowing smoke over her shoulder. "And why would I do that?"

The dusty veteran simply shrugged. "Well, they've got really good pot."

She smirked.

* * *

A/N Please let me know what you thought!


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